


The One Where Arthur Doesn't Die.

by disgraceRavenclaw



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Arthur doesnt die, Arthur gets LOTS of hugs, Character Analysis, FUCK, Fix-It, Fluff, Gen, God damn it fix everything, I PROMISE YOU HAPPINESS, Lance cares about his familyyyyyy, Lewis doesnt kill him, Like a dog, Smoking, also some angst, arthur smoaks sry :(, he has happiness eventually, he's held, he's just pampered, i wrote this cause i was really sad and needed to cheer myself up, maybe more i havent decided shut up, mentions of smoking, they become friends again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-04 00:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16336067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disgraceRavenclaw/pseuds/disgraceRavenclaw
Summary: hefhkfsdhfhafhjfaThis was originally going to be a story where you could choose your ending as Lewis, either letting Arthur fall to his death or saving him. However, I am not a heartless bastard, and I love Arthur too much to kill him right now.Yes I know in 11:42 i killed him, but let's pretend that doesn't exist. It's different when the ones killing him are the creators. (Hellbent has traumatized me. It was amazing, but now I have been traumatized.)





	1. The One Where Arthur Doesn't Die.

**Author's Note:**

> Id like to extend my thanks to Mystery Ben, Helios, Kressent, and others who worked on Hellbent. It was so fantastic, well animated, and the storyline was so wonderfully shocking and entertaining. I nearly applauded when I finished watching it, and I was so ecstatic about it, I managed to get 3 new people obsessed with it (though certainly not on the level that I am). 
> 
> However, ben and helios and kressent also owe me 1 kajillion dollars in hospital fees for the major heart attack the ending gave me, oh my FUCKING god i'm in so much pain. Arthur didn't deserve that. I know I said he needed to rest, BUT NOT LIKE THAT. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

Arthur felt a surge of panic in his bones. It lingered as pink flaming hair lit the ghosts face. What does he want? Why did it have to be him? What did Arthur do to deserve this? He kicked and struggled against the ghost’s grasp, but it was no use. His legs no longer touched solid ground.

He was staring death in the face, and was just short of crying out of fear. He looked down at the spikes below, and immediately snapped his head back up with a yelp. He shut his eyes, pleading with himself not to look down again. 

When he opened his eyes, he looked directly into the skull of the ghost holding him above his doom. Dangling him like he’s on a fishing pole above shark infested waters, about to be cast out. Arthur stopped struggling, and tried to lift up his prosthetic arm to grip the ghost’s wrist. 

It took him a few seconds due to the electrical damage. If he got out of this alive somehow, he’d need an entirely new arm; this one is as good as fried. Not only that, but Arthur’s shoulder was burned from the electric shock. 

Arthur pleaded silently with the ghost through his eyes. At that moment, the ghost’s skull was engulfed in pink flames ejecting from the collar of it’s suit. Arthur flinched away at the heat. When the flames died down, Arthur stared ahead blankly as if he were taking in no information, but he was taking in everything.

He was taking in the human face that stared back at him. Brown skin, and a square jaw. A faded purple pompadour Purple eyes tainted with a black sclera. A familiar face with an unfamiliar scowl that didn’t fit the soft friendly features. It plagued Arthur’s mind.

“Lewis?” he breathed out, incredulous.

He had no time to think before he was plummeting towards the ground. He had no fight left in him, so he just left himself go limp as he fell. At some point, the light of Lewis’ heart had faded. Arthur decided to shut his eyes,

He would prefer it if Lewis was the last thing he saw. 

 

The room was cold and dark. Arthur felt no pain, so he must have died. He sat in the darkness for a few moments more, not knowing what to do. He could barely feel anything, so he decided instead to think.

Lewis had been there all along.

And all this time, he was dead. 

Arthur broke into a sob. He could feel his chest hurting, and his cries felt like they echoed across the room. Wherever he was. He barely felt like himself. He felt like he was up in the air, and he was looking at himself from a bird’s eye view. 

Then, a voice broke the silence; a voice that most definitely was not his. It sounded raspy, like it was dead for a long time now.  _ “Arthur,” _ it croaked. Arthur recognized it immediately, but he didn’t know from where. He couldn’t find his voice.

_ “You’ve failed me again. You have failed me in every way.” _ Arthur tried to protest, but he found his throat felt constricted. Cold hands, grabbing his neck. Squeezing. 

_ “Could you not have just died and left the rest up to me?”  _ Arthur felt like his windpipe was collapsing. He cried out, but it came through choked and frail. He could not breath through his nose, or through his mouth. 

“Lance…” Arthur coughed, calling for his uncle to save him. His attacker continued to choke him. Arthur began to panic. “V-vivi…” He cried a new name. His throat was squeezed even tighter than before. His head grew pained. Any moment and he was going to pass out.

Was this death? Being tortured forever? Or was this some disturbed final death you must escape to become a ghost, or go to the afterlife? Was this how Arthur faded away forever? When Lewis died, did he have to go through this?

Lewis.

Arthur felt his lungs burning as he choked out a final name. “L...lewis…”

The squeezing loosing. Arthur took a deep breath before it’s grasp tightened again. He called again, louder. “Lewis...Lewis!” The voice laughed at him.  _ “Lewis is dead, Arthur. And you killed him. It’s all your fault.” _

Arthur resisted the voice. He recognized this voice as the one that whispered to him in his dreams, blaming him for everything. Arthur did not want to die today; he had to stay strong.

“Lewis!” He called again. “Help! Help me, please!” He knew his best friend would come to his aid, although the voice said otherwise.

Arthur opened his eyes. 

He was still having trouble breathing -- probably from the panic attack shaking him to his core -- but there were no hands around his throat. He was in the bright pink cave once more. His legs swung limply beneath him. He looked down at the spikes, only a few inches away from his feet. If he flexed his foot just right, he could break off the tips of a few spikes.

He also noticed, when he looked down, that the spikes were slowly retreating. The more his vision focused, he realized they weren’t retreating;  _ he _ was. Around his midsection were two strong arms, covered by pitch black sleeves and plated black gloves. 

_ Lewis. _

Arthur felt himself relaxing almost instantly. He still felt shaky -- Like he was outside of himself, too -- but Lewis helped ground him. Arthur wanted desperately to shut his eyes out of exhaustion, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He didn’t want to go back to that empty black space with the voice in his head. 

So instead, he brought his trembling arm up to hold onto Lewis’ arms as they both lifted slowly from the pit. They floated backwards slightly, and soon, Arthur was on solid ground again. 

Lewis let go of him again, and Arthur’s knees immediately buckled beneath him, causing him to fall down. This time, he was not caught. A moment of panic spread through him, and he yelped, making impact with the cold stone ground. Arthur lifted himself up on his elbow and hand 

The nice moment was over. A growing heat exploded behind Arthur. “You’ve got a metric SHIT TON of explaining to do, Arthur!” Lewis’ voice echoed in his throat, like he was trying to speak to Arthur from another plane. Arthur turned his head to look at Lewis.

His face returned to a skull. The air was cold. What was it Arthur had to explain? He was confused. He was scared. Most of all, he was tired. He just wanted a nap more than anything, night terrors and sleep paralysis both be damned. 

Lewis’ furious gaze faltered just as Arthur noticed a searing pain from his forehead. He sat up into a kneeling position, and brought his arm up to his head. He pressed lightly, and his, then took his hand away. His palm was tinted red. His fall must have cut his head. 

Arthur looked up at Lewis, still absolutely  _ shocked _ that he was here. Lewis was  _ here _ . Arthur had been looking for him for months. Many sleepless nights went by, nights Arthur was more than happy to sacrifice looking for his best friend. Arthur was not a religious man, but he had prayed some nights that Lewis would come back home, safe and unscathed.

Arthur was even less religious now that he knew nobody was listening, or maybe that whatever was listening just hated him. 

He felt another sob worm it’s way up his throat and escape his mouth. His eyes were getting blurry again, and he blinked them shut. He must have looked pathetic. He  _ felt _ pathetic. He didn’t know what to do. He was feeling every emotion at once. Lewis was back, and he was ecstatic to see him again, but he was also dead, and Arthur felt horrified at this turn of events. His confusion was frustrating him. 

Lewis approached Arthur, and took a knee. Arthur shuttered with grief. He was utterly despondent. Lewis drew him into a tight embrace. Arthur only began to cry harder. Lewis was dead. He wouldn’t ever be the same. 

 

Lewis wanted to believe this man was his murderer. He wanted to believe it with every bone in his body and on his suit. Yet everything felt wrong. 

He decided that the only solution was to be quick with getting Arthur out of his sight, but as Arthur plummeted to the depths below, his face was vacant. His warm orange eyes were empty and dull.

It was only then that Lewis got a full glimpse of how his friend had changed. His robot arm was limp from malfunction, and the rest of his body must have been, too. Arthur outstretched his hand, not to reach out to save himself, but because the rush of falling forced his arm upwards. 

His eyes were sunken in, edges darkened with sleeplessness.. His skin was pale, and he appeared so weak. Something about this affected Lewis deeply. The sound of glass shattering filled Lewis’ head, and his heart lurched in pain. Arthur’s voice was strained as he said it again.

“Lewis…”

Lewis leapt forward, grabbing Arthur by the back, and pulling him close to his chest. The inertia brought Lewis down a little more, but ultimately their descent slowed down. Lewis stayed still in the air for a few seconds, to make sure both he and Arthur were okay. Arthur’s breathing was erratic.

Lewis took his time in lifting Arthur back up to the ledge. He didn’t want to shake Arthur up more than he was already. Lewis had half a mind to try dropping him again as the anger from his death came back to haunt him, but then, Arthur brought his arm up to hold on to Lewis. His real arm. Any malice Lewis had then died once more.

They both brought their feet onto the ground, perhaps a few yards away from the edge of the cliff. As soon as Lewis released Arthur, he felt to the ground. Lewis reached to help, but fury began seeping back into his form. 

Arthur lifted himself up on his arms, and fire crawled across Lewis’ face, concealing his identity again. “You’ve got a metric SHIT TON of explaining to do, Arthur!” he exclaimed. He saw Arthur rebound for a second, before turning around to face him.

Shit.

His minor fall had given him a nasty scratch on his forehead. Blood oozed from the wound slowly. He saw Arthur wince, as if he had just felt the pain, before bringing a hand up and back down to examine the blood. 

Arthur’s gaze crept back up to Lewis --- Starting at his feet, and pausing to examine his ribs, then back to his face. Well, skull. Lewis took that time to examine Arthur in return. He looked just as dead.

His eyes were wide awake now, but they looked as if gravity would pull them closed any second. Arthur swayed slightly like he would pass out. He shivered, and closed his hand. His knuckles were especially apparent. Arthur’s shirt was riding up his torso, too, and Lewis could see where the once slightly pudgy pocket on his stomach had caved in, stretched into a flat valley by his ribcage and pelvis. 

Then, an ugly sob made it’s way through him. He could see Arthur’s lip quiver, and Arthur caught it between his teeth, as if to cover his mouth. Tears spilled down his face, which was becoming red with emotion.

Lewis’ already shattered heart might have turned into dust just by looking at it. The whole scene was absolutely heartbreaking. What happened to Arthur while he was gone? Had the same thing happened to Vivi?

Lewis didn’t know how to comfort him, so he did the first thing he thought of. He took a knee so he was close to Arthur, and pulled him close. Lewis was technically the one who initiated the hug, but Arthur sure as hell carried it. 

He clung to Lewis, tighter than ever. It was the first time in a long long time, and Lewis almost flinched. Probably expecting an attack of some kind. Arthur sobbed and howled in pain. He was an utter mess in Lewis’ grasp. He wheezed, whined, and gasped for breath in his teary eyed breakdown.

Lewis just held him there. What in the world could be causing Arthur so much grief? Was it guilt? Lewis wished he knew. He wished he knew why, and that it wasn’t what that tiny voice in the back of his mind had been telling him since he died.

He wishes it wasn’t Arthur mourning.

Here’s how Lewis’ story functioned; Arthur was jealous of Lewis, wanted to steal Vivi from him, and did so by killing him. That was, Lewis’ revenge was justified. What kind of story would it be if his villain mourned him? If his villain was not guilty? What kind of story would it be if Lewis was the villain? Not one Lewis wants to have about his life. 

This, however, was something Lewis wouldn’t mind in his life story.

Nobody was hurt here. There was comfort, and trust. This is what Lewis  _ wanted _ to be, so desperately. He pleaded for months for Arthur to be evil this whole time, but deep down, Lewis never wanted to hurt his friend. 

He only ever went along with his righteous view of revenge because he didn’t realise how much Arthur really had been hurt by this. But he knew better than that now. As he felt Arthur’s lithe, fragile frame pressed against him, it felt like if Lewis held him too tightly, Arthur would shatter. His breathing was labored, and only now were his sobs beginning to die down. Arthur had suffered enough. 

So Lewis sat there, and he held him. He let Arthur mourn, and let the explanations wait. Just for a while.


	2. The One Where Lance Cares About His Nephew.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is worried about his nephew.
> 
> -mostly filler i'm sorry aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> qwertyuioplkjhgfdsazxcvbnmnbvcxzasdfghjklpoiuytrewq  
> I'm love lance

 

It was probably a good 10 minutes that they sat there, letting Arthur express his grief. All the while, a million thoughts ran through Lewis’ head. This could all be a farce. Arthur was a pretty good actor, though not a fantastic liar. Arthur could be trying to convince Lewis he was innocent still. This could be malicious.

And at the same time, how had he missed all of this? Arthur didn’t just say he was mourning; he _looked_ like he was mourning. He might as well be dressed in all funeral clothing. Had he even eaten or slept since Lewis went missing? He wasn’t sure.

At some point, Lewis had realized the loud sobbing died down into quiet weeping. Arthur sniffled and wheezed, but didn’t let go of Lewis. Lewis brought a hand up to his back, patting it comfortingly.

Arthur finally let go of Lewis, scrambling backwards and rubbing his eyes, which were red and puffy. He hiccuped a little, and looked at the floor. He had wet lines running down his face. Lewis frowned. With a flash of fire, he put back on his human facade. Arthur stayed silent, not looking back up at him.

“We need to talk,” Lewis tried again, calmer this time. Although anger and confusion was pricking at his throat, he bit it back to keep Arthur from breaking down again in his fragile state. He wouldn’t get any information if Arthur was crying.

Arthur nodded, digging his nails into his palm. His prosthetic twitched with electricity. It caught Lewis’ attention. “Why is it doing that?”

Arthur looked at his prosthetic, which lay limp at his side. “You…” his voice was restricted. He let out a nervous laugh. “Your weird ghost energy that shot the van’s engine totally fried it. I’m gonna have to make a new one at this point.”

Lewis looked at the arm curiously. “You _made_ that?”

Arthur reached over and grabbed his arm, yanking it out of its place. Lewis didn’t think he had ever seen someone so nonchalantly rip out their own arm. “Yeah,” he mumbled. He held it in his arms, but it gave a slight shock, and he hissed, dropping it. “Made it in about a week, so it’s not great.”

Lewis looked awkwardly at the stump of Arthur’s shoulder blade. “How’d you lose it?” Arthur took the corner of his mouth between his teeth and tugged. “Would you believe me if I said it was a shark with lasers?”

Lewis glared at him. “Arthur,” he said, in a stern voice not unlike a mother. Arthur’s shoulders dropped, and his whole frame became smaller. “I don’t remember. I...I don’t think I want to, either.”

Lewis let the topic drop. Thankfully, Arthur picked up a new one -- the important one. He took a deep breath, jaw shaking, and Lewis was afraid he might start crying again. “How did you...um...you…”

“Die?” Lewis said, with a bit of bite, and Arthur flinched. He nodded solemnly. Lewis crossed his arms. “You can say it, Arthur. I’m dead. I know I am, have been for months. I’m not gonna throw a fit about it.”

Arthur hesitated. “God, Lewis, I might. I just did. I just… I can’t believe this. I didn’t...I thought…” Arthur grasped for the right words, but his voice failed him. Lewis decided to take pity on him. “So you really don’t remember?”

Arthur looked up, and Lewis saw a faint horror in his eyes. “Was...was I supposed to?” he asked incredulously. Lewis felt like exploding. Had he really not known? Or was he simply lying? Did he think Lewis was stupid?

“Of course you’re supposed to remember!” He said, voice too quiet and raspy for the fury bubbling in his throat. “You were _there,_ in the cave!”

Arthur’s shoulders raised, and he bristled with anxiety. Oh christ, had it been that long that Lewis was dead?

“I don’t remember anything about the cave. Lance…” He looked to the wall. “Lance said it was something about trauma, or repressed memories, or something. I don’t remember. I can’t remember. It’s all hazy to me whenever I try.”

“Try _harder!_ ” Lewis prompted, voice raised. Arthur flinched. “Sorry,” he apologized. “Sorry. If I could, Lewis, I would, but whenever I try-” The words caught in Arthur’s throat. _Whenever he tried, it felt a little bit like when he was being choked._

“I start having an attack,” he settled on. “Like, a really bad one. I can remember very little in the worst of them.” his arm was shaking, and he felt like he was going to have an attack just at that moment.

Lewis glared. “I remember everything perfectly clear about the cave. I just need to know if you remember. This is kind of important.”

Arthur looked down at the ground again, not wanting to speak. His breathing constricted. “I don’t. I don’t remember. I don’t want to remember.”

“Why not?” Came the angry reply.

Arthur shut his eyes again. “Everything about this stupid cave hurts. It hurts being here. It hurts thinking about this place, or mentioning it, or anything. It feels like I can’t breathe right. I just wanna forget it exists. Why would I be happy knowing why I hate this place?!” By the end of his sentence, he was shouting, and tears made their way down his face once more.

He shut his eyes, and tried to breathe. The ugly dead voice in the back of his head acted up again, cackling. Arthur grabbed the side of his head, and shook, trying to knock the voice out of focus. Once it was gone, he found himself unable to stop shaking.

Lewis put a hand on his shoulder, trying to still him. “ _Relax,”_ he said, in a nicer voice than before. Arthur tried to stop shaking, and nodded. He looked up at Lewis, taking in his face. His real face. Arthur hadn’t seen it in so long. He desperately missed looking at Lewis. It was stupid, but he had such a kind face.

Seeing Lewis angry was absolutely surreal. It froze Arthur’s struggle when he was originally dropped from the ledge. Now, his face had softened, and though his eyes were still black in the sclera, he almost hadn’t changed in any other way. Arthur felt like he might have to hug him again.

God, he missed Lewis’ face so damn much.

Lewis helped Arthur up. “Okay,” he said. “I think it’s about time we get out of here.” Arthur nodded, and gripped Lewis’ arm tightly. Lewis looked at Arthur oddly, and Arthur almost decided to let go of Lewis’ arm, suspecting it was the cause of Lewis’ unusual look. However, before he could, Lewis spoke. “Uh, Arthur...Don’t freak out.”

Arthur squinted in confusion, and Lewis grabbed Arthur’s arm tighter. “This won’t hurt,” he said, which _immediately_ made Arthur nervous. Fire rises from where Lewis is standing, and Arthur yelps. He tries to pull his arm out of Lewis’ grasp, panicking at the sight of the fire, but Lewis just pulls him back.

“I said don’t freak out.” His voice was calming to Arthur, and the flames had already reached Arthur’s leg without burning him at this point. Arthur decided to trust Lewis, moving closer and shutting his eyes tightly.

He became very warm. The echoing sounds of the cave faded into the crackling fire, and soon, silence followed. Arthur risked peeking an eye open.

They were back in front of Kingsmen mechanics. Incredible. The fire was dying down at Arthur’s feet, and he began to relax. Still with only one arm, he clung to Lewis. Lewis’ face had returned to it’s skeletal appearance. Lewis looked at him awkwardly, and Arthur let go. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly.

Suddenly, a loud shot rang through the air. Arthur jumped at the noise, and he looked back at Lewis. There was a hot pink spot on his chest where a bullet has zipped through his body. It began to fade, and there was no apparent wound.

Arthur turned to face his uncle lance, who had a smoking shotgun in his hand. He cocked it, and pointed it at Lewis again. “What the _hell_ are ya tryna do to my nephew?!” He screamed.

Arthur panicked, running up to Lance and trying to wrestle the shotgun out of his hands with one arm. “Lance, put- put the shotgun _down!”_ He shouted, and Lance pointed the shotgun towards the ground. Arthur flinched as Lance brought him into a hug. “Arthur,” he said, “I was so scared, all I saw was you gettin’ dragging into some truck by that…” He looked up at Lewis, and pointed the shotgun at him. “...that thing!”

Arthur grabbed the nose of the shotgun and pointed it back down. “Lance, relax. Please. I’m glad you’re worried, but i’m-” He was cut off as Lance dropped his gun, and held his hand up to Arthur’s side. “Where the hell did yer arm go?”

Arthur looked at his stumped shoulder. “Ah… malfunctioned. I got rid of it.”

Lewis stepped closer, but Lance gave him a dirty look. Lewis, weirdly intimidated by this small man, stopped in his tracks. Arthur notices this, and goes to stand between Lance and Lewis. “Lance, don’t hurt him. It’s okay.”

Lance looked around Arthur at Lewis, who’s standing perfectly still. “Like _hell_ i’m just gonna stand ‘ere and let this nephew ‘napper go unpunished!” He makes a move to stomp around Arthur, but Arthur hops back in front of him.

“No, Lance! It’s okay. It’s Lewis.”

Lance looked at his nephew like he was absolutely insane. “Arthur, yer batshit loony if ya think i’ll fall for _that_. He don’t even have a face!”

Arthur looked at Lewis expectantly. After a few moments of silence, he nodded, trying to tell Lewis to do the thing. “Oh, right,” Lewis said, perturbed temporarily by Lance’s angry demeanor.

Lance flinched back as purple flames engulfed the ghost’s skull, leaving a familiar face in it’s wake. Lewis watched Lance expectantly, but the old man didn’t react much. He simply grabbed Arthur’s arm and pulled him to the side.

Arthur yelped as Lance tugged him off into the workshop. He was let go of haphazardly, which made him stumble, and lose balance. Once he got himself to stand normally again, he looked up at Lance, who was watching him with a firm glare.

“Yer’ tellin’ me that all this...ghost business…” Lance said, motioning around with his hands, and immediately letting Arthur on to the purpose of this discussion. “... First, it kept ya from spendin’ time at work.”

“Lance,” Arthur groaned, knowing exactly where this was going. Lance continued. “Then, it took yer arm…” he added. Arthur held up a hand and opened his mouth to protest, but he was unable to, as his uncle cut him off. “An now, yer best friend is _dead?_ One of these days, yer gonna be danglin’ off some edge somewhere, and you’re gonna regret not listenin to me when I tell ya to _quit hanging out with these folk and their ghost business!”_

Arthur decided it was best not to mention how close to home Lance’s statements hit tonight. “Lance, these are my friends. I’m not just gonna leave them to their own devices and stay to the side lines. They’re kind of my _only_ friends-”

Lance slammed his fist down on the table. “Arthur, yer fuckin arm’s off! You just got ghost napped by yer _dead best friend_ , and I-” Lance stopped, and the last part of his sentence was ruptured by a voice crack. He brought a hand to his face, to cover it, and Arthur realized he was on the verge of tears.

“I jus don’t know what I’d do without ya, kid.” Lance breathed heavily. Arthur stood there, not knowing what to do. What would he want someone to do when he needed to be comforted?

He walked over to Lance, and wrapped his arm around his uncle to give him a hug. Lance hugged him back, and sighed. “One of these days, Arthur. One of these days I won’t be there to protect ya.”

Arthur patted his back, and pulled away. “I know, Uncle Lance, but i’m 23 now. You can’t watch over me forever.” Lance nodded sadly. “I know.”

Lewis looked in the window at the two. He decided now wasn’t the best moment to intrude. He needed to be elsewhere. Luckily, a chipper voice caught his attention.

“Oh. My. God.”

Lewis turned to look at the familiar blue haired girl. _Vivi._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gfadkgfadshfhdfsgksahfghsa I can't help it I love lance  
> Also to anyone that misconstrues this scene as pizza: you need to stop


	3. The One Where Lewis Gets An Idea.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is going as planned. Lewis' heart is broken beyond repair, Arthur still needs a new arm, and Vivi and Lewis' reunion has been postponed. It seems like we've got a mystery on our hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asdfghjkl more lance, can't help myself  
> I love vivi, so much  
> Shiro left, don't worry about her. maybe. i don't know  
> jghadfjlhdsfjklghjghghls the van

Vivi stared at Lewis in wonder. Wow, tonight was so  _ eventful! _ Two powerful supernatural experiences in one night! She almost wanted to reach out and see if the poltergeist was really there.

However, he did that first. He held a shaky hand out and put it on her shoulder. Then, he did the same with the second one. The ghost looked just as amazed to see her as she did him. “Vivi…” it breathed. It knew her name!

“You speak!” she said. She grabbed his arms. He tilted his skull head to the side, looking absolutely enamored. “You’re so tangible,” Vivi continued. “You’re really, actually there! You might be the most powerful spirit i’ve ever seen in tempo to date!” Her eyes sparkled as she spoke enthusiastically.

Lewis wasn’t listening. He was just staring at Vivi, lost in thought. He noticed a couple scratches on her face that he hadn’t seen before, and a pretty brutal rip on her sweater shoulder where she was bleeding heavily. Lewis panicked when he saw it.

He hovered a gloved hand over her arm, being careful not to touch the wound. “Vivi, what happened to your arm?” he asked, concerned. Her gaze followed his gesture, and she hummed. “Oh my gosh, I just had such an epic fight with an ancient tree spirit, and she totally slashed my arm up, and Mystery was like  _ ‘oh no you didn’t’ _ , and he turned into like a big beast and started fighting her off, and  _ Lance _ came in, shotgun blazing, and he didn’t hit her, but she was totally chased away. It was so cool!”

Of course Vivi was this excited about a life threatening experience. “But doesn’t it hurt?” Lewis asked. Vivi was still smiling. “Oh, not really. I’m still on an adrenaline rush and I don’t think I can feel anything. This is the best night of my life!”

Lewis ushered Vivi into kingsmen mechanics. There was  _ way _ too much blood coming out of Vivi’s shoulder for Vivi’s happy attitude to be warranted. Man, that must be one hell on an adrenaline rush. When he opened the door, he had to duck to get into the shop. Lance and Arthur both turned simultaneously, and they both looked sick for wildly different reasons.

“Uh… Vivi’s bleeding,” Lewis said awkwardly. Lance walked forward quickly, hopefully to tend to the wound, but Arthur simply covered his mouth and turned away. Lewis approached his curiously.

 

Arthur felt his blood run cold when Lewis and Vivi came into the shop, and for quite a few reasons. First of all, he had to come to terms with the fact that everything would go semi-back to normal, and he would fall back into step with this torturous third wheel routine. Second, Vivi, the only friend he’d known during the months Lewis was absent, was injured, and he was far more than worried. But most glaringly of all…

Lewis tapped him on the shoulder. “Arthur? What’s wrong?” his voice sounded unsure. Arthur kept his hand over his mouth for fear of vomiting from nervousness, or disgust. “Blood,” he says quietly, and that’s all it takes for Lewis to understand. Lewis puts a hand on his back. “Okay,” he says, “let’s get you outside.”

Arthur nodded. He needed some fresh air desperately. Ever since the cave, he’d had… minor nightmares about the place. It’s where he got all of his clues about the cave. Every nightmare he had was filled to the brim with the smell of iron, the taste of something warm and metallic, and bright red splashes attacking Arthur’s senses at top speed and force.

So to put it lightly, Arthur wasn’t really a big fan of blood. Thinking about it made his shoulder pulse with pain, and seeing it dripping down Vivi’s shoulder, staining her favorite sweater, made him want to vomit. If he wasn’t careful, he might just do that. He tried to erase the sight of red on blue from his mind as best as he could. 

Lewis accompanied him outside for a few seconds, but it didn’t last any longer than that. “I need to go back inside and see if Vivi’s okay,” he said, pointing his thumb back towards the mechanic shop. Arthur balled his fist up, mustering as much courage as he could to speak up against him leaving. 

“Okay. Thanks for walking me out.” He let his shoulders fall and his hand go limp. He didn’t look back at Lewis as he went back into the shop, leaving Arthur alone in the dark october night. 

Of course, they lived in Texas, so the air wasn’t cold, but there was an usual breeze that made Arthur shiver. He didn’t dare think about Lewis and Vivi in the way he did before Lewis went away for so long. He wouldn’t let himself.

He wouldn’t let himself be unhappy for his friends finally reuniting. What kind of friend would that make him? An awful one, for sure. But Arthur found the fact that he was standing alone in the chilled autumn shadows, no one to warm him, depressingly symbolic of his current situation. 

God, Lance was right. Arthur seriously needed a therapist or something.

 

Lewis went back inside and saw Vivi had taken off her sweater, which had a light blue T shirt underneath. The sleeve was torn almost completely off from what Lewis supposed was an attack earlier, and Lance was wrapping bandaging around her shoulder. The adrenaline must have worn off, because Lewis saw Vivi wince at a tough pull of gauze.

Lewis floated over to her carefully. He stayed with her as Lance applied the bandages, and held her hand. Sometimes, she would squeeze his hand and hiss at the pain of her arm. He squeezed back gently. 

Once Lance was finished patching her up, he looked up at Lewis. Lewis and Vivi both looked at Lance silently, and he backed away, putting his hands up. “I’ll give y’all some space.” Lance went outside -- presumably to go check on Arthur.

Lewis looked at Vivi and held his heart in his hands. “Vivi,” he said quietly. “I need to tell you something important. I have to jog your memory.”

Vivi turned her head. “Jog my memory? About what?” Lewis looked at her sadly. “About me. If I could just show you…” He tugged at his heart locket. It didn’t open.

What? He tugged at it again. The cracks running down the sides shifted the opening; it was stuck shut. He didn’t have any more of those flowers that could heal his heart… what was he to do?

He couldn’t show Vivi the photo in the locket. The one that would make her remember him. She would never remember him again. Fuck. Fuck!

Pink fire climbed up his head, his human face appearing, covered with worry. He held Vivi’s hand, and she looked incredibly lost. “Vivi,” he said. “It’s me. It’s Lewis. I’m here, Don’t you remember me? Please tell me that you know who I am.”

Vivi looked at his face, struck with wonder. “I know you,” she said, breathless. Lewis felt hope glowing in his chest. It died as soon as she continued. “I don’t remember you. I just know you. You’re Arthur’s friend, right? The one he’s been looking for?”

Looking for? Arthur had been looking for him? “Yes,” he said. “I’m the one. You and I used to be dating. Vivi, please. Is there any way I can help you remember?”

Vivi looking him up and down. “I’m trying. You’re really familiar. You said… we dated?” Lewis nodded. Vivi smirked, looking him up and down again. “Gosh, I can see why.” Lewis rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “Vivi,” he said quietly, “Can we still work together?”

She looked at him, taken aback. She pulled her hands away from him hesitantly, and it felt like his heart was going to shatter more. “I’d like to,” she said, “But I don’t even remember who you are. I don’t remember loving you. I’m… sorry.”

Lewis felt absolutely defeated. Everything was going wrong. He pried at his heart locket, trying as hard as he could to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. No, no, no, no. This was all wrong. His worry started shifting into rage. He felt hot flames licking at his shoulders. “Lewis?” Vivi said, holding out a gentle hand. He looked back at her.

She looked almost afraid. “Are you okay? I’m sorry I said I didn’t remember you, i-” 

He clutched his heart close to him. “It’s okay. I’m not mad. I could never be mad about that, Vi. It’s okay.” He looked up at the window where Arthur was talking to his uncle Lance. “Not about that,” he said.

He knew it wasn’t fair to be mad at Arthur about all of this. It wasn’t  _ entirely _ his fault Vivi didn’t remember him. Lewis couldn’t help but be mad, however. If Arthur hadn’t killed him, he wouldn’t be in this mess. But because of Arthur’s trauma, he couldn’t get the answers he needed.

This was gonna be a long night.

 

Arthur looked to the side as Uncle Lance exited the shop. “Hey kid,” he said, coming up to pat Arthur on the back. “I know yer awful spooked by blood since ya lost yer arm, so I came to check up on ya.” He looked at Arthur carefully. Arthur was looking away from him. 

“I’m alright,” he said, in his ‘i’m not alright and I want someone to know it’ voice. Lance frowned. “Well,” he said, playfully punching Arthur’s right arm, “It’s awfully coincidental ya lost yer arm, ‘cause I’ve been tryna make you a spare.”

Arthur looked up at that. His eyes shone a little. “A spare? You hate robotics.”

“And I still love my nephew,” he said. “After all, now I know it’s gonna come in handy to  _ have _ a spare, I think I can muster my way through a hydraulics for dummies book.” Arthur smiled to himself. “C’mon”, Lance said, turning back to the shop. “Let’s try it on. See if you can fix some of the kinks in it.”

Arthur nodded. “Okay. Guess we can’t  _ all _ be robotics masters on our first prosthetic arm. Expected better from you, old man.” Lance laughed at his nephew. “Hey, I did my best. Maybe i’ll be good with yer fancy robotic stuff one day.”

Arthur smiled. “I’m sure you will.”

Once they walked back inside, Arthur noticed Lewis walking towards him. He looked like he was trying to keep himself from exploding. “Arthur,” he said, with a calm voice but furious eyes. “We need to have a private talk.”

Arthur looked confused. He nodded. “Um, yeah. We can do that.” He turned to Lance. “We can fix my arm in just a second, I think this is urgent.” Lance furrows his brows, and shoots Lewis a threatening look, but eventually, he steps away from the to, and heads back to his office. 

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “What did you want to talk about?” Lewis frowned at him, and glared. “I need an explanation.”

“Explanation?” Arthur asked, anxiety plaguing his voice. “I mean, I could too, buddy, but I don’t have one. For, like… anything.” He shrunk under Lewis’ confrontational expression. “Let’s review what we know,” Lewis said with professional coldness. “You know  _ nothing _ about what happened at the cave. I thought I knew everything, but now, none of this fits what I thought had happened. So collectively, what do we have?”

Arthur looked up at Lewis. “Uh… whatever you thought happened, but...but that didn’t happen, so...A different version of-”

Lewis cut him off with a frustrated groan. “We have  _ nothing! _ Nobody here gets what happened. This is a total disaster.” Arthur flinched back a little at Lewis’ yelling. Lewis put his head in his hands, and sighed in defeat. “U-uh, well… Sorry it’s such a mystery, Lew.”

Lewis lifted his face out of his palms slowly, as if he had just realized something. “It  _ is _ a mystery, huh?” He looked over at Vivi. She was petting mystery, who’s muzzle was laying in her lap, peppered with scratches. He looked outside at the busted van, window shield glass all over the ground. 

“How soon do you think you can get that van fixed, Arthur? He asked. Arthur followed his gaze, and hissed. “God. That’s gonna take a while. Poor baby.” He cooed to his van, which Lewis always found weird, but he chose to ignore it this time around. 

“Can you do it, though?” Lewis prompted, turning to face Arthur. Arthur looked at the van in consideration. “I could probably fix her up in a few days, with enough effort. Maybe 4.” He whistled at the damage, and continued mostly to himself, “She’s gonna need a  _ lot _ of things replaced.”

Lewis nodded. “I can wait a few days.” Arthur looked over at him. “Why are you asking, anyway? What’s your plan?” Lewis turned his head to look back at Vivi, who met his gaze, and waved. He smiled.

“Gang, we’ve got a mystery on our hands.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please kudos and or comment, it's witchcraft that keeps my skin healthy and my hair shiny


	4. The One Where Lewis And Arthur Make Small Talk.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brandishing a new prosthetic, is time for Arthur to start working on the van again. Lewis relays his plan to Arthur, and Arthur isn't very happy about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is just a little shorter, sorry!!  
> "JustPassing" said they wanted more wholesome content and you know I needed to step up to plate~

Arthur sat in a metal folding chair in the workshop as Lance helped him put on the new prosthetic. They’d been working on it for the past day to see how much they could fix. Arthur had to admit, with Lance’s help, this one might have been better than the last one. 

Lance stepped back to admire the prosthetic. “I think we did a good job on this one,” he said, pridefully. Arthur gave it a quick flex; the movement was definitely smoother, but Arthur still had to break it in. Changing prosthetics was still really weird to him. 

Arthur stood, and looked at the arm, turning it around and moving the fingers. “I like it,” he said, grinning. Just like the old one, it had one of his bracelets built in on the wrist -- Lance knew him so well. 

Lance went across the workshop and grabbed a toolbox. He sauntered back over to Arthur, placing it on folding chair seat. “Alright, kid. There’s a van that needs fixin’.” Arthur picked up the toolbox with his new arm, testing how much it could carry. Lance put his hands on his hips. “Ya sure you don’t need any more help with it?”

Arthur walked over to the van, which was propped up on a few car jacks. “If I need anything, I’ll call you, Lance.” Lance began to walk towards the exit. “Alright, just remember ya need two people to move the new windowsheild; yer not movin’ that by yerself.”

He walked out of the garage, and Arthur checked the engine. It was  _ completely _ shot. There were a few nasty dents on her nose, and one of her headlights was broken. The little antenna on top of her fell off. Arthur sighed. “I really did a number on ya in that crash, huh girl?” He patted the hood a few times. “We’ll get you fixed up in no time, though. Always do.”

He reached into the hood to examine the engine. At that moment, the door opened again, and Arthur looked up. He expected to see Lance, but Lewis stood in the doorway instead. “Lewis?” Arthur asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Making sure the van is getting fixed,” he said, walking over. “Are you just starting now?” His voice was impatient. Arthur groaned. “We had to get me a new arm first, so I could fix the van faster. And with less accidents.

Lewis looked around the shop. “I’ve only been here a few times before. It still feels odd.” 

Arthur grabbed a wrench from his toolbox. “Well, why don’t you have a look around? Acquaint yourself. I’m gonna be a while here.”

Lewis watched Arthur reach under the hood and tinker with  _ something _ on the engine. Lewis walked around the shop, examining it. There wasn’t anything of general importance in here, at first glance. There  _ was _ a cooler. Lewis checked that. It was just full of water bottles. Lewis guessed it got pretty unbearable to work in here during summer. 

Lewis heard a quiet squeak to his left. He turned his head, and a little hamster rolled up to him. He had two wheels where his legs should be, and a bolt between his teeth. He grabbed it with his little hands and squeaked at Lewis again. 

Lewis looked at the hamster in awe. He crouched down slowly, and held his hand out. The hamster eyes his hand curiously, before wheeling up onto his hand. He lifted his hand up to look at the Hamster. 

He turned his head to speak to Arthur. “I didn’t know you had a pet,” he said. Arthur looked over at him, and at the Hamster in his hands. He smiled. “Oh, yeah. That’s Galahad. I’ve had him for almost a year now.”

Lewis looked at the hamster again. Galahad. “It’s a nice name,” he said. “Don’t you think it’s a bad idea to have him rolling around the workshop?”

Arthur shakes his head, getting back to work. “He’s hardly ever trouble. At least, not for him. I can’t say the same for any cables lying around here.”

Lewis shrugs, and puts the hamster back down. The hamster wheels over to the van, where Arthur is back leaning into the front of the car, fixing the engine.  Lewis continued to inspect the workshop. 

He came across a little table with lots of things on it. Some things were photos. There was a nice photo of the gang that vivi took some time ago. Lewis stared back at himself. When he was alive. He didn’t dare look any longer, or he might start having a meltdown. 

Instead, he picked up a picture of Arthur and someone else he didn’t recognize. It was a man, who looked a lot like Arthur. The photo had to be years and years old; Arthur was still babyfaced, no goatee. He must have been a young teen, or something. The old man’s beard was well trimmed, unlike Lance’s, and he was much taller.

He held the photo up over his shoulder. “Who’s this?” he asked Arthur. When he didn’t hear a response, he looked back over his shoulder. “Arthur?”

Maybe he hadn’t heard him, Lewis thought. Then again, his eyebrows were furrowed, and he frowned as he worked on the van, not looking up. Looking away, really; as far away from the photo as he could. It was probably a sore subject.

Lewis put the photo back down, and walked back to Arthur. “I’m bored,” he said. Arthur was still fixing the engine, not looking at him. “Go somewhere,” Arthur shot back. 

Lewis held his hands together. “I can’t,” he replied. Arthur stopped working for a second, thinking more about what Lewis said. He turned to look at him. “Why can’t you?”

Lewis looked out of the window of the garage door. “I don’t want to deal with people… reacting to my situation,” he said. He’d love to go somewhere; to go and see Vivi’s family, or even his own. Very much his own. He missed his sisters, and his parents. However, something tells him they might freak out knowing he’s dead. He wants to delay that interaction for as long as possible. 

Arthur understood. “Well… you can hang out here and we can talk, or something,” he said. Lewis looked at the work Arthur was doing. “Okay,” he said. “What have you all been up to, while I was gone?”

Arthur shrugged. “Honestly? Not much.  _ I _ was looking for you, and Vivi was along for the ride. We investigated  _ some _ ghosts -- mostly the ones we ran into along the way. So the past few months have just been really boring and stressful.”

“Oh,” Lewis said, awkwardly. He didn’t know how to carry this conversation. Luckily, Arthur did so for him. “So, what’s your  _ big plan _ for this mystery, anyway?”

“We’re going back to the cave.”

Arthur threw the wrench up in the air with the force at which he jumped. He whipped his head around. “What?!” His complaint was cut off by gravity bringing the wrench back down upon his head, right on the edge of his scapt. “Ow! Shit!” His hands came up to press on his head, and he hissed. 

Lewis expected as much. “I know you hate that place, but when I made a copy of that cave, you seemed just fine.”

Arthur looked up at Lewis in shock. “Lewis, I don’t know what part of me was enthusiastically screaming  _ ‘fine’ _ at you back there, but I think you lost your hearing!” His hands were still on his head.

Lewis leaned towards him. “You can stay in the van if you want, but  _ i’m _ going into that cave to try and figure out what happened. Maybe it’ll jog Vivi’s memory… and maybe we can find out where that tree lady went.”

Arthur looked at Lewis like he had 5 heads. “Lewis, are you talking about the tree lady that  _ tried to kill mystery and Vivi?” _

Lewis grabbed onto his heart. “She also had a flower. A blue one! It healed my heart last time. I need it again.”

“What makes you think she’s gonna give it to you, knowing you’re allied with us?!” Arthur’s voice was beginning to rise in volume. “Lewis, frankly, this whole plan sounds ridiculous, and I don’t want any part in it.”

Lewis glared at him. He knew how he could get Arthur on board. “So, let me sum this up…” he said, leaning back, and putting on his very best dissapointed face. “You spent all this time looking for me, but you won’t even bother helping your  _ dead best friend _ figure out what happened to him? Arthur, I thought you wanted to help me.”

Arthur’s face fell. “Lewis, no. That’s not what I meant. I just… I think we can go about this a… a different way? Like, what if Vivi gets hurt in this? What if  _ I _ get hurt in this? It’s risky.”

“It is risky,” Lewis said, “But it’s the quickest way to find out what happened.”

Arthur looked at him incredulously. He sighed in defeat. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll help, but if you want me to go in that cave, you’re gonna owe me big time.”

Lewis smiled. “Got it.” He felt bad, guilt tripping Arthur into this plan, but he needed Arthur there. If Arthur remembered something about the cave, iit might be crucial to what happened. It might prove his innocence.

Or his  _ guilt. _

“Oh, fuck,” Arthur said, a quiet mumble. Lewis looked down at him. Arthur had his right arm drawn back in front of his face, shakily. It had a red smear on the palm, and the cut on the top of his forehead oozed a small drop of blood. Lewis grew concerned. “Yikes. Did the wrench hurt you that bad?”

Arthur wiped his hand on his shirt quickly. “I’ll be fine,” he said. “I don’t  _ feel _ concussed, anyway.” He laughed it off, but Lewis was still worried. “Stay right there,” he said, and he looked frantically around the workshop. He opened a cabinet, and found a little first aid kit. 

He walked back over to Arthur, first aid kit in hand. “Oh, no,” Arthur said. “It’s okay, you don’t have to-” But Lewis was already motioning for him to sit, so he did. Lewis opened the kit and took out an antiseptic wipe. “Stay still,” he said.

Arthur complied, hissing at the sting of the antiseptic as it was pressed to his forehead. Lewis carefully cleaned the cut, then reached into the kit for a bandain. He placed the band aid carefully on Arthur’s head.

“There,” he said. “Better?”

Arthur looked up at him, face feeling slightly warm. It always kind of embarrassed him when Lewis babied him, but he couldn’t lie to himself; he really missed this. “Yeah,” he said, quietly. “Thanks,  _ mom,”  _ he teased, trying to lighten the air between them. Lewis rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome.”

Lewis got up. “You should start working on the van again. Sorry to distract you from that. I’m gonna head back inside.” He turned to face the door, and reached out to grab the knob. He turned back again, to look at Arthur. “We need her fixed up soon, if we’re gonna get anywhere with this mystery.” He smiled, and for a second, things felt like they were normal again.

Arthur nodded. “I’ll see how much I can get done,” he said. Lewis went back inside, shutting the door behind him. Arthur watched the door frame for a little while longer. He grabbed the wrench off of the floor, and examined it. 

Bringing a hand up to his head, he rubbed the still sore spot where the wrench collided with his scalp. The scratch of the band-aid’s exterior was a welcome texture. He leaned over the van’s engine, and continued his work.


	5. The One Where Arthur And Lewis Are Mindful.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mindfulness exercises, hooray!  
> The precursor to the beginning of the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asdfghjkl more lewthur coding  
> I need my boys to be happy so much, i'm putting them through therapy in my own fic  
> *Mentions of smoking! And there definitely will be more mentions of smoking in the next chapter  
> And wow, these chapters are getting pumped out fast, huh?

Arthur wiped the sweat from his forehead. His band-aid was probably going to fall off soon. One of the corners was already coming off. He decided to just tear it off now. The wound has to have scabbed by now. 

He stepped back to admire his handiwork. It took him 3 days to fix the van, with no major setbacks, and he was proud of himself. There was just one thing he needed help with; he needed help installing the windshield.

He walked back inside to look for Lewis. Lewis was sitting in a chair, and one of those weird purple ghosts sat on his shoulder, chirping. He looked sad. Arthur walked up to Lewis, and the deadbeat went away. “Arthur,” Lewis greeted. Arthur nodded in reply. “Do you need help with anything?”

“Yeah,” Arthur said, pointing back to the garage. “I need some help installing the windshield. Then, she should be ready to get back out onto the road again.” Lewis grinned, clutching his heart close to him. “Perfect,” he said. “Lead the way, then.”

They walked into the garage, and Arthur stood by a large glass sheet. “You grab the left side; i’ve got the right.” Lewis stood by the left side, and grabbed the bottom of it. Arthur did the same with the right. 

“We’ll lift on three. One… Two… Three.” Lewis picked it up with general ease, and it tilted with the lack of effort. Arthur struggled to lift the other side. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s get this thing in the window frame!” The two made their way over to the car, and set the glass onto the hood. 

Lewis held the glass sheet still as Arthur worked it into the window. It took him a few minutes, but soon, the job was finished. The van was fully repaired. Arthur was glad -- He loved the van, of course. He didn’t love the trip they were planning, though. 

Lewis’ eyes lit up when he saw the van fully repaired. “Should we take her out for a spin?” he says. Arthur shrugged. “I dunno, it’s late.” Lewis looked at him, and grinned. “Not like we’re going to the cave tonight. Maybe just around town?”

Arthur hummed, holding his chin in his hand. “I guess I wouldn’t mind. I want to drive though.” Lewis frowned. “What? But I always drive.” Arthur was already getting into the front seat. “Yeah, that’s why I want to drive tonight. You can drive tomorrow.”

Lewis sighed. He got into the passenger’s seat. Arthur buckled up, and Lewis did so too. Arthur put his hands on the steering wheel, keeping them there for a while. Lewis looked at him cautiously. Arthur smiled. “It’s good to be back in the van again.”

He started up the car, taking a second to appreciate the rev of the engine. Lewis looked out of the windshield as the headlights came to life, lighting up the garage path in front of them.  The door was open wide, and the moon was already rising above the horizon. Tempo wasn’t a big city, but it sure was a beautiful one. 

They drove out onto the road, Arthur humming contently. The ride was quiet. “Should we turn on the radio?” Lewis said. Arthur reached to do so, but pulled back. “Actually,” he said, “I have a playlist for this. Hold on.” He took out a small tape, which didn’t surprise Lewis. Arthur, using a tape instead of a phone. 

He always claims it’s because the van isn’t aux accessible, which definitely is an obstacle, but he probably just likes to feel retro. He put the tape in, and the silence of the van was broken by guitar chords. 

Lewis didn’t recognize this song, but whatever it was, he liked it. “‘Aight, dude,” Arthur said, drumming on the wheel to the song. “Where we headed?”

Lewis looked out the window. “We could go to the field?”

Arthur tried to look straight ahead, but his glance kept wandering over to Lewis as he spoke. “The field?” he asked. “You mean  _ your _ field? Your and Vivi’s field?” Lewis turned his head back to look at Arthur. “Yes, that field.”

Arthur felt a bit of heat rising up to his face. “Uh, man, I thought I wasn’t allowed there, like…  _ ever _ or something. That’s your guys’ field, man.” The field in question, which isn’t really owned by anyone, and doesn’t have a name, was probably Lewis’ and Vivi’s favorite spot to go on weird romantic outings, like watching stars or birds or whatever else. It was far enough from the city so that you could actually see the solar system. 

Arthur always felt like, no matter who went there, that field was solely Vivi’s and Lewis’, just by how often they went there, and how much of a big deal they made of it. Arthur thought if he ever went in, he might taint the atmosphere there forever or something. It was a dumb thought, but he couldn’t really help it.

Lewis loved that field, a lot. He probably wanted Arthur to stay in the van, or something. 

They were nearing the edge of the city, and Arthur was singing along with the music while he drummed the steering wheel. It started as a mumbled Lewis barely picked up.

_ “You can’t stop these kids from dancin’, why would you want to? ‘Specially when you’re already gettin’ yours.”  _ Lewis looked over At Arthur, who had his eyes on the road. Arthur continued to sing.  _ “‘Cause if your mind don’t move and your knees don’t bend, well don’t go blaming the kids again...” _

“Well, I didn’t know you could sing,” Lewis teased. Arthur groaned, but he was smiling. “Aw, hush. I’m no star or anything. I just… really like Ok Go.” He kept staring at the road, and a flush of embarrassment spread across his face. Lewis smiled, and looked back out his window.

They were approaching the field now. The van’s headlights lit up the dry grass, painting the field with white light. Arthur parked the van on a little patch that was just dirt, no grass. And stopped the van. “We’re here,” he said. 

Lewis looked out at the field, and smiled. He opened the door, and got out. He heard grass crunch beneath his feet, and looked down at the ground. He grinned widely at the fond memories of the field. 

He looked over at Arthur, who was still sitting inside, staring at Lewis. Waiting for something. Lewis walked around the front of the van, to the driver’s side. He opened the door, and motioned out to the field. “You comin’?”

Arthur looked up at Lewis, not saying anything. Lewis, inviting him to  _ his _ field? The one with oddly romantic connotations? This was pretty much Arthur’s best fantasy, which probably meant he was reading it all wrong.

“Uh, you sure dude?” He asked, nervously. His voice cracked, which was embarrassing, and he didn’t want to move his legs because they were already turning into jelly. Lewis just tilted his head. “What, do you need me to carry you?”

Right! That was far enough! Arthur didn’t want to get any  _ ideas _ about what was happening, so he forced himself to stand, and laugh it off. “No, dude. I’m not royalty, it’s fine” Lewis smirked, shutting the door of the van behind Arthur. “Well, your surname  _ is _ Kingsmen.”

Arthur ignored him. He looked out at the magnificent grass field. A few cacti with vibrant flowers guarded the dirt paths, and the sky was illuminated with stars. “God damn,” muttered Arthur. “Now I know why y’all like this place so much.”

“Careful Arthur,” Lewis joked. “You’re slipping into your texan dialect again.”

Arthur balled his hand up in a fist, bent his elbow, and swung his arm down . “Aw tarnation, am I?” he said, exaggerating his southern accent. It always made Lewis laugh -- even in their slightly macabre situation, he chuckled at it. “Okay, stop that,” he said. He walked out into the field, and Arthur followed. “So,” Arthur said, trying to break the silence, “What do you usually do here?” He almost said, ‘you and vivi,’ but he refrained from mentioning Vivi around him. 

Lewis shrugged. “Stargaze, relax, listen to music. Not much, other than sit and appreciate the ecosystem. It’s like meditation. And believe me, I  _ need _ some right now.” There was a strain in his voice that was there during the drive. It made Arthur’s shoulders rise in alarm.

“Well,” Arthur said, “I had to do some mindfulness exercises and stuff at the hospital a few months ago, cause my.. Amputation… was giving me some stress. We could do that?”

Lewis looked back at Arthur. “Man, that arm sure had caused you a lot of trouble,” he said, his voice heavy with concern. Arthur shrugged. “Hey man, that just happens. Not much I can do. C’mon!” He walked into the field waiting for Lewis to follow. 

Lewis floated by Arthur, exaggerating his height. Arthur picked a spot and sat down. “So, with mindfulness exercises, you just… you sit real sit.” Lewis sat down next to Arthur. “Okay,” he said. He sat criss-cross, with his hands in his lap. Arthur nodded. “Then you just… turn on autopilot, I guess.”

“Turn on autopilot,” Lewis repeated. “How do you do that, again? I can’t find the switch,” he joked. Arthur chuckled. “No you just sit there and let yourself think about things. Not things you want to think about, just whatever things you happen to think of.”

“And what if I don’t like thinking about those things?” he asks, voice somber. Arthur sighed. “Sometimes, you don’t like thinking about things. But you have to think about them to  _ stop _ thinking about them. Ponder them, and let them go.” His voice was calm. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. Lewis watched him, and mirrored his actions.

Their minds were two separate worlds. Lewis’ was so incredibly busy, and everywhere. It flipped from his still present rage at Arthur, which he’d been trying to suppress so he could understand his situation, to how he felt about Vivi, to if she may ever remember him, to his family, what  _ they _ would think. He couldn’t get himself to stay on one topic.

Arthur, on the other hand, was only thinking of one thing; Lewis. About why Lewis tried to drop him off a cliff. Why he was dead, how he died. What would happen to his relationship with Vivi. He tried to keep the track platonic, but his mind betrayed him. 

His thoughts strayed into much more flattering territory, however. About the meaning behind bringing Arthur here. What it meant that they were both just… sitting next to each other, silently. How he felt about how Lewis still cared for him, after the unusual melt down in the cave. Arthur’s stomach dropped.

God damn it. Arthur thought he was over Lewis. He tried so desperately to let every thought go, so he wouldn’t think them ever again, but they kept coming back like boomerangs. It was unbearable. Arthur was feeling slightly more stressed than before. He would probably need a smoke later.

Arthur opened his eyes, deciding to quit the mindfulness exercise. He looked at Lewis. His face seemed relaxed. It was probably working for him. Arthur didn’t look away. He felt his face beginning to heat up. 

Lewis had to admit -- he did feel more relaxed doing this. It helped to think things through. He took one last deep breath, and opened his eyes. To his surprise, Arthur was staring at him. 

Arthur looked away immediately, but Lewis still caught him looking. He decided not to mention it. “We should start heading back to the shop,” Lewis said, his voice a low rumble. “It’s getting late.”

Arthur nodded, eager to get up. “Yeah, sure thing. Let’s head out, then.” They both walked to the van. “And tomorrow,” Lewis mentioned, “we’ll head to the cave.”

Arthur’s discomfort hit Lewis in waves. “In the day, I should hope,” Arthur said, opening the door and taking his seat in the van. Lewis nodded. “Of course. Bad stuff happens in there at night.” Not even  _ he _ felt fully ready to explore the place where he died at night. Maybe he had some trauma on his end, too.

The drive back to the shop was filled with music, and this time, Lewis recognized the tune. “Is this Tainted Love?” he asked, amazed. He  _ loved _ this song. “Well,” Arthur said, “You always said this song was your favorite.” deep down, Arthur just wanted to hear Lewis sing. In the end, neither could hear the other’s singing over their own, loud voices singing along with the words. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind the "precursor to the beginning of the end" title, it doesn't mean anything, Don't worry about it. It's fine. This is a fix it fic, everything will be fine.
> 
> We're fine.


	6. The One Where Arthur Has A Nightmare.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur isn't recovered yet.
> 
> (sorry about two fluff chapters in a row I know y'all wanna see the cave real bad but it might take a bit uwu)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asdfghjk kind of a drabble and not too tied with the story, but tied with it all the same so.... filler???  
> Just to tide y'all over while I work on the next chapter cause there's a lot I have to describe and i think it might be big? Dont get scared nobodys gonna die  
> Well, nobody's gonna be more dead than they already are ayy ba dum tss  
> Warning: kinda nightmares??? Okay absolutely nightmares but yknow   
> Also warning: gross overuse of metaphors, i'm trying some stuff out with my writing style

When Arthur and Lewis returned to the shop, it was nearly 11 PM, and Arthur actually felt sleepy. N ot tired, Not ‘i've been working for hours and need a break’ exhausted, but like he could really rest. It was a magnificent feeling, and he missed it.

Of course, undoubtedly, he still might have another nightmare tonight, what with how things were going to happen tomorrow, but Arthur still looked forward to sleeping for once. 

Lewis refused a drive to Vivi’s so he was staying in the shop tonight. He didn’t really have to sleep, since he was dead, but he couldn’t lie around and do nothing for hours, so he opted to watch TV during the night. He kept it on low volume, and nobody had any protests. If anything, the droning of the TV in the background, muffled by the wall, only helped Arthur to drift off.

When Arthur fell asleep, he was greeted by a group of familiar faces. Lewis and Vivi, as well as Mystery. All of them, piled into the van. They were going somewhere, Arthur just couldn’t tell or remember where. 

His heart sunk as he saw green lights over the horizon, spilling out of the mouth of a cave, and pouring dread into Arthur’s lungs. He felt like he was drowning. He’d had this same dream a few times before, and it was… definitely more vivid. He tried time and time again to bend the nightmare, but he never could.

The gang hopped out of the van. Nobody said  _ anything. _ That’s the horrific part about Arthur’s nightmares; there were no words, and it left him to contemplate the world around him in silence. Things were different from before.

The trees coming out of the ground around them, dead and gnarled, looked like claws reaching up to scratch the stars out of the sky. The cave has awful stalactites like teeth, and Arthur begged himself not to look up. 

He gripped his arm to himself in a frantic effort not to lose it. He thought about going with Vivi this time, instead, but his legs always carried him to Lewis. This was always the part of the dream where things got fuzzy, but it remained clear now. Arthur wanted to wake up.

Here they were; the edge of the cliff. This is where things were getting fuzzy again, white static clouding Arthur’s mind. He tried to focus on Lewis in this moment; nothing ever hurt when Lewis was there.

He leaned over the edge, reaching his hand back as if he were gesturing for Arthur to stay back. Torch held high, it was propped up out over the edge, looking into the depths below. Arthur already lost his sense of hearing, and the ambient cave noises turned to white noise. As the clouds came in to block his vision, he waited for him to inevitably be stuck in a vague, bloody, painful hell.

Instead, a clear, dead voice broke the noise. “We aren’t finished yet, boy. You’ve got a job to do.” Hands, on his neck. Not choking him, but holding him there, and pressing his jaw so he couldn’t open it.

“You must forgive me,” it said in a feigned way of politeness that came off as more of an insult, “But I need to borrow this, for a second.”

A different pain shot through Arthur’s arm. This pain wasn’t sharp and concentrated in one spot, nor was it dull or took up his whole arm. It felt like white hot lightning, running up from his spine, all the way down to his fingertips and through his neck. The static cleared. His arm moved of his own volition. 

_ What the hell was going on?  _ Arthur asked himself. The cave came into full view.  _ What the hell is happening?! _ He asked again. He was yelling it, but his jaw still wouldn’t move; it was held shut. He tried to back up, away from this scene, but the lightning petrified his spine, and he couldn’t move any of his limbs.

The first voice in his dream ripped into his heart like a bullet. “Arthur?” said a sad voice. He looked up at Lewis.

Lewis’ chest had a great big hole in the front, right where his heart was. Arthur felt like screaming, but all that came out was a muted whimper. His eyes were empty sockets, and two purple dots stared back at him. His hair danced in the absence of a breeze, like it was made of fire. 

“What are you doing?” he asked.  _ What am I doing? _ Arthur repeated to himself. He wanted to reach out to Lewis. He was so scared. And to his surprise, he reached out readily; his left arm flew in front of him with ease.

Then, Lewis disappeared as the static rose up again. “Thank you,” the voice told Arthur, sinisterly. “And here’s your thanks…”

And before Arthur knew it, the lightning was gone. Again, there were beastly jaws tearing his arm off, but Arthur didn’t… feel anything. His arm was completely numb, and the feeling of sharp teeth breaking his skin definitely wasn’t even  _ comparable _ to the electricity that ran through his body moments before.

There was blood, as always, but Arthur wasn’t paying attention anymore. He wasn’t horrified. He felt lost and empty. What happened to him? What happened to Lewis?

Arthur awoke with a loud yelp.

Lewis heard it from the other room. He turned his head backwards in concern. He floated up from the couch to go to Arthur’s room. He saw Lance coming down the hall, too, and he froze. 

“Outta the way,” he said. “I’m tryna get to my nephew.”

Lewis shook his head. “I got this.” But Lance insisted. “I’ve been dealing with his night terrors for months now, what makes you think you can handle this?”

Lewis looked down at the smaller man. “Have  _ you _ ever been able to handle them?”

Lance opened his mouth to argue, but his voice wasn’t present. The two stood in understanding silence for a bit. Lance turned around, walking back to his room. “Be careful with him, okay? He’s awful fragile.”

Lewis nodded, and entered the room, where Arthur was sat upright. Upon seeing him, Arthur yelped again, quietly. He stayed there he was sitting, and Lewis floated over to him. “Hey,” he said, “What’s wrong?”

Arthur lurched forwards and grabbed Lewis, bringing him into a hug. He was a little less of a mess than when he was in the cave, but the way he held onto Lewis was the same. Lewis held onto Arthur, rocking both of them side to side. “It’s alright,” he said, “It was just a dream.” 

“I was at the cave,” Arthur said, voice dying. That took Lewis’ interest. He wanted to hound Arthur for details, but now felt like the wrong time. He just let Arthur go at his own pace. “My arm… I… I don’t know what happened.” He sounded different, and Lewis could peg down why. 

“It’s okay,” Lewis comforted, “you don’t have to tell me.” Arthur nodded, pressing his face into Lewis until he found it hard to breathe. Lewis’ hand rested on the back of his head, petting his hair. 

“Hey Lewis?” Arthur asked meekly. Lewis looked down at him. “Yes?” he said. Arthur didn’t reply for a second. “It’s stupid,” he said, giving the idea more thought now. Lewis surely would sense the connotation, although Lewis wasn’t very good at doing that.

“It probably isn’t,” Lewis told Arthur, “If it was important enough that you thought of mentioning it.”

Arthur grabbed Lewis’ arm anxiously. “Stay here tonight?” he said. “In the bed?” He still felt stupid saying it, but Lewis didn’t seemed phased. “Would that help you sleep?” he asked. Arthur, who nodded in response. Lewis tilted his head. He couldn’t exactly ignore the… oddity of the situation, but whatever helped.

Lewis laid down next to Arthur. “Alright,” he whispered into the quietness of the room. “I’m right here if you need.” Arthur nodded. He let go of Lewis, offering to give him space, so they weren’t essentially cuddling. However, Arthur still held on to Lewis’ arm the whole night, and refused to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I don't write more about Vivi I think I and all of you lovely readers might collectively fall into a coma from lack of Vitamin V so guess what  
> Ya girl (her) is gonna be back soon, we need her


	7. The One Where They Investigate The Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy halloween, folks. Here's a treat of 4.1K words... and a little trick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so so so so so fucking sorry for this chapter AND for the next one, but remember my promise still holds true that Arthur will find happiness i'm just tossing him around a little bit first its really fun  
> CHAPTER WARNINGS:  
> Smokin and Chokin babes  
> Also blood and amputation

In the morning, Arthur woke up from a mostly peaceful dream. And by peaceful, he meant he couldn’t remember a bit of it, so it must have been good. All he remembered was a theatre stage. Still.

When he turned to the side, he realized Lewis wasn't there. He expected that; Lewis didn’t require sleep, and he probably wanted to move around. It was unrealistic to expect him to stay there all night. It was still a wonder he even agreed to stay for any amount of time, to Arthur.

Arthur got up, dragging himself out of bed, and grabbed a comb. He ran it through his messy bed-head hair, trying to get the knots out. He sort of succeeded, before deciding it was enough, and putting the comb back down.

He left his room and went into the shop, feeling stressed about the events that were in order for the day. He sighed to nobody, feeling his nerves settling into his bones. He needed a little relief now more than anything. He looked around the shop for his vest. He took it off last night when he and Lewis got back from the field.

Once he found his vest, he dug around in his pocket and found a small cartridge of cigarettes, and a lighter. He put his vest on, and walked outside into the dry morning air. It was too sunny for this.

He didn’t struggle to light the cigarette, fingers trained with muscle memory from the routine. He closed the lighter lid, bringing the small bundle of tobacco and other surely harmful chemicals up to his lips, to take a drag.

The familiar sting was a relief, and a distraction from everything that was going on right now. He breathed out a cloud of smoke, watching it rise far above his head and into the air.

Lewis went back to Arthur’s room, but found the bed empty. He must have already gotten up. He decided to look for him around the shop, but he wasn’t in there either. Lance was in the garage, working on a car with a broken engine belt. Lewis tapped him on the shoulder. “Where’s Arthur?”

Lance sighed. “He’s out back smokin’.”

“Smoking?” Lewis replied, incredulously. Arthur didn’t smoke. Lance didn’t say anything more. Lewis went outside to check on his friend, and sure enough, smoke filled the air around him, and he brought a cigarette up to his lips to breathe it in.

“Hey,” Lewis said, standing next to Arthur. Arthur didn’t say anything, almost like he didn’t know Lewis was there. Lewis touched his shoulder. “Arthur?”

Arthur turned to him. “Hey, Lew.” he exhaled smoke from his nose. Lewis tried not to flinch away from the smoke. “Well,” he said, awkwardly. “I didn’t know you smoked.”

Arthur leaned against the wall, and shrugged. “Yeah. A lot has changed, I guess.” He laughed off his nerves, and Lewis joined him. After a few seconds of laughter, Arthur coughed, expelling smoke clouds from his lungs. The laughter was killed abruptly.

“You know,” Lewis said, “That stuff is bad for you.” Arthur shrugged. “‘Course I know that.” He holds up his cartridge of cigarettes to show Lewis a little black box. “Says so right on them.”

Lewis looks at the box, and the words it contains, considering them. “Warning: May cause lung cancer, oral cancer, deterioration of… that’s the most polite way to say “hazardous and poisonous” i’ve ever seen.” He eyed Arthur.

Arthur shrugged again. “What can I do?”

Lewis stood taller. “You could not smoke.”

Arthur took the cigarette away from his lips, blowing more smoke into the air. “It’s a little late for that one.”

Lewis looked at Arthur, concern evident in his eyes. Arthur looked back at him, and sighed. “Don’t feel bad about it, please,” he said. “Lance and Vivi do that for me enough already.” He put the cigarette out by pressing it against a wall, then tossed the cigarette butt into a trashcan.

Lewis decided to let it go. “Are you ready to go to the cave?”

Arthur shivered. Last night’s dream still haunted him, and he was feeling even less enthusiastic about going back. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” he murmured. He began to walk back inside, before Lewis grabbed his arm. He turned back to face him.

Lewis looked at him seriously. “Just know that… you don’t have to come into the cave if you don’t want to.” His lips upturned into a gentle smile, and Arthur felt his face heat up again. Damn it.

He smiled back. “Alright, i’ll remember that.” He tucked the cigarettes in his vest pocket and turned back to Lewis. “We leavin’ now?”

Lewis looked at the sky. “We have time. We just shouldn’t be there at night.” Arthur chuckled nervously. “Yeah, that place gives me major creeps in the dark. And the light, but… less so.” The two of them walked into the garage, where Lance was working. “We could leave early, anyway -- I have to talk to Vivi about some stuff.”

Lewis squinted his eyes. He was still weary about Arthur being around Vivi, just instinctually. He didn’t think he would do anything. He just… felt weird about it. “Okay,” he said all the same. “Whatever gets us out of the house quicker.”

Lance looked up from the engine of the old grey jeep he was working on. “Get y’all outta the house? And to where?”

Arthur shrugged. “Nothing worrisome, Lance. Just going to… hang out and figure stuff out.” Lance walked up and stood in front of Arthur, looking up at him as if it were intimidating. Arthur was still deciding whether or not it was. “I’ve got plenty to worry about, kid. Is it paranormal stuff?”

Before Arthur could answer, Lewis spoke up. “Technically, Lance, it’s always going to be paranormal if i’m there,” he joked. Arthur laughed, but Lance remained stoic. “Really, Lance,” Arthur said. “We’re just going to check something out. No ghosts involved, except that one.” He pointed at Lewis with his thumb.

Lance watched the two suspiciously, before muttering nonsense under his breath. “Okay,” he said, “but I want you back by sundown.” He turned back to the jeep, messing with the tires.

Arthur grabbed his keys. “You wanna drive? Like old times?” Lewis looked at the keys and nodded, holding his hand out. Arthur dropped the keys in his hand with a _chink_ noise, and Lewis grabbed them, sitting in the drivers seat. Arthur opened the other door. “I call shotgun until we get to Vivi’s house, and in return, I won’t complain about having to sit in the back.”

“Deal,” Lewis said, grinning.

Arthur hadn’t taken out his playlist the night before, so when Lewis started the van up, the pair were greeted with music. He looked at Arthur and grinned. “I didn’t know you still listened to this…” he teased. Arthur’s face flushed in embarrassment.

“Shut up man, I just… it hypes me up.” The energetic lyrics to _Teenagers_ by MCR was blasting in the background. Lewis looked ahead, smirking. “It’s not a phase, Lance,” he mocked. and Arthur groaned. “I can’t believe I actually said that, don’t remind me…”

Although Lewis teased, he found himself bobbing his head in time with the beat. Who couldn’t? Arthur never listened to boring music -- it was always something you could move to. So, Teenagers blasted through the speakers until they arrived at the Tome Tomb to pick Vivi up.

They parked in front of the building, both of them looking into the windows. Arthur looked over at Lewis, waiting for him to move, but he didn’t. He looked scared. Lewis turned his head to Arthur. “Can you go inside and get her?”

Arthur understood. “Yeah, man. I might have to talk to her about something for a second, though.” He got out of the passenger’s seat, a hand propping open the door. “Hope you don’t mind if I take a second.”

Lewis stared at Arthur, lips pursed. He looked back ahead at the steering wheel. “Okay, just don’t take a lifetime.”

Arthur nodded, and shut the van door. He walked inside the Tome Tomb, the bell ringing as he did. He saw Chloe standing at the counter, and she looked up when she heard him enter. She smiled, waving furiously. “Arthur! Hi! How have you been? You lookin’ for Vivi?”

Arthur had spoken with Chloe occasionally, but they never really had anything in common to talk about besides liking smash bros, so that put a bit of a damper on their acquaintanceship. “Yeah,” he said. “Where is she?”

Chloe threw her head back in a gesture. “She’s in the back, helping Duet with inventory. Where are you going? Is it a ghost hunting trip?” She leaned forward on the counter. “Can I come?” Her eyes reflected the lights on the ceiling of the store beneath her hood. Arthur leaned back. “Sorry, Chloe. Vivi says you’re not allowed to come along for investigations. You’re too young.” Among other things, but that was a big factor.

She slumped against the counter in defeat, and groaned. “Okay, fine. But you’ll let me come one of these days, right?”

“Ask Vivi,” Arthur settled on, already heading to the back. It was full of books, some (relatively) new, and some so old their pages were falling out from where. Duet and Vivi were sat down at a box, sorting out the comics inside by genre. Vivi looked up as she heard the door opened, and waved at Arthur. “Hey Arthur! What do you need?”

Arthur pointed his thumb to the side. “Investigation. It’s time sensitive.” Vivi looked at Duet, who shrugged their shoulders in return. “I can get Chloe to help me finish this,” they said. “You go on ahead. Sounds like it’s important.” Vivi grinned. “Thanks Duet!” She got up from where she was sitting, and dusted off her skirt.

She walked up to Arthur, arms crossed. “What do we have that’s so important this time? A wraith?” Arthur almost said ‘ _yeah, we’ve got a poltergeist in the van’_ , but he knew Vivi would take it seriously and rush out to see, and he wouldn’t have any time to talk about what was going on.

They walked out, and Arthur began to explain, before he saw Chloe leaning ahead to listen eagerly. He leaned against the counter’s edge. “Hey, Chloe, Duet needs you in the back.”

“Oh,” she said, disappointed. She backed up very slowly to the door of the back room, and tried to open it backwards to seem cool. She failed, horribly, so she had to turn around to open it. Embarrassed, she shuffled quickly inside.

Arthur heard a laugh escape Vivi. “She tried so hard,” Vivi sighed, either in amusement or awkwardness. Arthur turned to her. “Okay, so,” he began, “I know you don’t remember anything about the cave-”

Vivi stood taller immediately, cutting Arthur off. “Arthur, we’re going to the cave? Are you sure? I’m not sure that would be good for you.” Arthur waved it off. “It’s fine, really. I’ll stick by you and Lewis the whole time.”

Vivi crossed her arms. “Lewis is coming along? I thought he… well. I don’t know, passed on? I hadn’t seen him since that night, so I assumed so.” Arthur raised his hands. “No, no, he hasn’t passed on.” _Yet_ , Arthur almost said, but he didn’t like to think about Lewis leaving again. “See, Lewis said that…” Arthur swallowed, nervously. “Something related to his death happened there,” he opted for.

Vivi leaned back, getting the implications. “Oh. So, normal case?” Arthur looked at her like she was crazy. “What about this case is normal?” he asked. This was far from their usual routine. But Vivi just walked ahead, towards the door. “We’re helping a ghost pass on.”

Arthur watched her walk out. Fuck, he hadn’t thought of it like that. Once Lewis finds out what happened to him, he’ll have a chance to pass on. This time, he might just disappear for good. Vivi snapped her fingers, and Arthur was knocked out of his trance. “You coming?”

She had the door held open for him, waiting. He took a second to gather his wits, the new cost of this mission all too apparent to him. “Yeah,” he said, “I’m coming.”

The two walked to the van. Vivi opened the door to sit in the passenger seat, and yelped when she saw Lewis in the front. “Oh! Oh my gosh, you gave me a fright for my life,” she said, laughing. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were driving,” she apologized, as she sat in the passenger seat. Lewis smiled awkwardly, holding his heart close to him.

Arthur got in through the back, and he leaned against the front seats. He looked at the two in bitter silence. His music played in the background; _What I’ve Waited For,_ by Vicetone. He didn’t sing along, or move. Suddenly, this whole investigation felt off. He didn’t like this plan one bit.

They stopped by Vivi’s house to get Mystery, because she complained to them that “Mystery should never be left out! He’s part of the team, too!” The trip to her house didn’t take long, but Lewis still stayed in the van while she went out to get him. He sat in the back with Arthur. Neither of them said anything, because Arthur just sulked quietly.

As they drove down the road, Arthur watched out the back window as the road disappeared into the horizon behind them. Tempo faded into the backdrop. At this point, another song was already playing. Something by the Overtones. Arthur wasn’t paying attention. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Vivi said.

If they find out how Lewis died, and Lewis comes to terms with that, and suddenly all is just, he’ll go away forever again. Arthur didn’t want that, but he didn’t want Lewis to stay for the rest of eternity in a fit of rage and misery. It was either Arthur helped Lewis double die, or kept Lewis in a situation he didn’t want to be in. Suddenly, Arthur felt hypocritical.

Against his better judgement, there was a voice in the back of Arthur’s head telling him to keep Lewis from passing at all costs. Arthur did his best to ignore it, but the more he did, it hurt. He had to remind himself who’s interests he was supposed to have in mind, here. Still, he nagged himself.

He looked up when he heard a concerned noise. Mystery was sitting closer to Arthur, which made Arthur jump. “You look like you’re thinking really hard,” Mystery said. His ears were pushed back on his head, worried. Arthur waved him off. “I’m alright,” he said. Still, Mystery sat close to make sure.

Cacti was replaced with dead trees and vines as the group approached the cave, and a whole new kind of concern began to plague Arthur’s mind. He looked ahead, out of the windshield. Twists of dead roots edging onto the road bumped the van up and down. A few hundred yards ahead, the opening of a familiar cave, stalactites pointed like teeth.

Lewis caught Arthur’s eyes in the mirror. He saw Arthur looking ahead, panicked, and then the blond’s eyes left his view. Lewis parked the van in front of the cave. He took a second to lean back to see how Arthur was doing.

Arthur curled in on himself. He couldn’t believe he was actually _here_ again. He tried to breathe evenly, but it came out as gasps. No. He could do this. He had to help Lewis figure out what happened, even if Lewis passed on in the process. It was for Lewis’ best interests. Mystery pawed at his arm.

Lewis and Vivi got out of the van, the both of them walking around to the back. They opened the rear doors, making Arthur flinch. Both of their faces were concerned. Vivi leaned forward. “Arthur? You okay?” Lewis added on, saying “You don’t have to come along if you don’t want to.”

Arthur shook his head, scooting forward and placing a shaky foot on the ground. Left foot, right foot, one foot in front of the other. _You’ve got this, Artie,_ he said to himself, though he wasn’t sure whether it was true. “I’m good,” he said. “Let’s check this place out.” Mystery followed him, hopping out of the van. “Let’s be careful,” he said.

Vivi smiled, grabbing Arthur and Lewis by the sleeves, tugging them along. Arthur yelped when he was pulled, and Lewis just went along with it. She pulled them into the cave, and Arthur felt his fight or flight responses kicking in. She stopped a little ways into the entrance, considering the walls of the cave, before turning to the group. Mystery was still running to catch up with them.

“Sorry, Mystery!” she said. “I kinda ran off there. I’m just excited! God, it feels good to get investigating again.” She looked around the cave. “This place is almost familiar.” Lewis and Arthur both grew anxious about that. This would be a horrible first thing to remember.

“Should we split up?” Vivi asked. Lewis crossed his arms. “I don’t want you two to be in a group alone,” he said. “For your safety. I’m pretty sure i’ll be fine, but you guys are more… corporeal.”

“You _are_ corporeal, Lewis,” she said. “So, should we be in a pair?” she asked Lewis. Lewis grinned, obviously about to answer, but something inside Arthur made him want to speak up.

“I don’t-” his voice squeaked, breaking the silence. He coughed, clearing his throat, and tried again. “I don’t want to be alone with mystery out here. Or, um...Alone.” The three looked at him. Vivi seemed concerned, Lewis inconvenienced, and Mystery just looked hurt. Still, Vivi stepped ahead. “Then Lewis, you and Arthur can be in a group!”

Something about saying that carried some weight in her mind, but she ignored it.

Arthur walked next to Lewis immediately. “Cool, where we headed?” Lewis looked at him, then back at Vivi sadly. “Outside, first,” he said. “Vivi!” he called out to her, catching her attention. “You be careful in here, okay?”

She soluted, jokingly. “You got it, chief. C’mon, Mystery!” She threw her hand forward too call Mystery over. He bounded towards her. “We’ll try the right path first,” she told Lewis, as they went on their way.

Lewis watched them go, holding his heart tightly. Arthur almost thought he would squeeze it so hard it would shatter. Lewis walked back out of the opening of the cave, and Arthur followed him.

When Lewis exited the cave, he turned toward an abandoned lot of land. There were some short brick walls surrounding it’s perimeter, and steps that lead up a little slope in the ground. Lewis floated up the stairs, and landed carefully on the drying grass of the area. Arthur followed, gazing around cautiously.

Lewis looked eagerly for any trace of the blue flower from a few nights before. It couldn’t have gone very far. It didn’t take an idiot to know what the flowers represented - Why else did the blue flower lead his way to Vivi? He didn’t know how they worked, but he didn’t care. He just needed the petals to repair his heart.

Arthur followed Lewis as he scanned the ground carefully. He saw a few purple petals littering the ground, right where there was a nasty scorch mark. Arthur wondered whether or not that was Lewis’ doing. Suddenly, something brushed his leg, making him jump.

He looked down at the ground. A black eyed susan was leaning against his leg. He bent down to pick it up. He held the flower in his hand, examining it. The middle was bleached in the center, and the petals were shriveled and turning red at the center. Some petals had already turned black and shriveled into what looked like scraggly little leaves. The middle part was crushed a little bit, and one of the petals was torn. Did he step on it on accident?

“It’s dying,” Arthur said, sadly. Lewis looked at the flower he was holding, and his heart began to hurt. He rushed over to the flower. “What? It can’t be dying.” He took the flower from Arthur’s handle, cradling it in one palm. Sure enough, though Lewis hadn’t noticed it before, the flower had begun to wilt.

Arthur was confused. Why was that such an issue for Lewis? It was just a flower. Lewis put the flower between his suit vest and shirt by the stem, so it peeked out of the front of his suit. Arthur saw him looking at it sadly. “Have you seen a blue one?” he said. Arthur looked around, head swiveling to scan the dead grass for more flowers. “No,” he said. “I don’t see any.”

Lewis sighed, but kept looking. Arthur didn’t know what else to do, so he sat down by a group of dying shrubbery. He crossed his arms, and shivered at the cold metal of his prosthetic. He held the arm out, half expecting this all to be a nightmare; as if by staring at it for too long, he would find himself in the cave again, bleeding and in pain.

He took this time to think about the dream he had last night. The same dead voice that had plagued him in the cave a few nights before. It had something to do with all of this. Arthur didn’t know how it fit in, but it must have some part to play in this tragedy.

That dead voice was even snickering in his head now. Taunting him for not knowing him, no doubt. Arthur felt the need to speak back, but he didn’t enjoy looking like a crazy person. Still, the snickering got louder. It was concentrating itself in the back of Arthur’s head.

It only occurred to him a second later: the voice wasn’t coming from the inside. He reacted quickly as a hand came around to scratch at his neck. He yelped, scrambling forward, but the sound was muted by the clutch of clawed fingers. Arthur turned, trying to get away from his attacker.

However, as he turned, he saw nobody behind him. The hand still remained on his neck. It wasn’t a hallucination, it was all too real. He really did feel he tight grasp on his windpipe, and he struggled to say something.

“Lewis,” he choked, trying to pry the fingers off of his throat. Lewis turned around, and his eyes filled with fear. “Arthur!” he cried, rushing to his friend’s aid. Arthur tugged at the fingers as hard as he could, trying to throw off it’s grasp. Lewis grabbed the Arm and tugged, only throwing Arthur backwards with it.

He, too, reached down to pry the hand off of Arthur’s neck, and after a few moments, succeeded. Arthur fell to the floor with a loud wheeze, gasping for air, and holding his throat. He coughed in pain, and tried desperately to breathe again. He turned his head upwards as something fell to the ground with a loud thump.

It was an arm; sickly green, and with nothing else attached to it. It was closed in a fist. The fingers unfurled, and a black eye stared back at Arthur. The arm furiously rolled around, and began to scramble towards Arthur again. Arthur flew backwards in defense, yelling. His voice was strained from the attack.

A black booted foot slammed onto the arm, causing it to screech in defiance. Arthur looked up at Lewis, who’s foot pinned the arm to the ground. They both looked at the arm in terror.

“That’s my arm,” Arthur rasped, his voice almost gone. Lewis shushed him. “Don’t talk, you’ll hurt your voice.” He looked down at the arm, and bent down to pick it up by the elbow so it couldn’t bend. “This isn’t what I came for, but it sure it something...”

Arthur looked at the arm, petrified. Was he having a panic attack? It mostly just felt like he was dissociating. That was his arm. His arm, which was supposed to not be… moving. The arm glared at Arthur. Arthur looked at the end, where there were still splatters of blood on the bicep.

Lewis looked at Arthur, concerned. “Arthur? Are you okay?” His question was soon answered, as Arthur’s eyes fluttered, and he fell to the ground, unconscious from a mix of a loss of breath and seeing his own arm, alive, and vicious. Lewis, still with the arm in his grasp, ran to Arthur’s side. “Arthur?” he asked. Arthur didn’t respond. “Arthur! Wake up!” Still, he remained unconscious.

Lewis grabbed Arthur by the collar of his shirt, picking him up, and setting him in the back of the van. The arm thrashed around, and hissed. Lewis glared at it, and it glared back. This was seriously freaking him out.

He went to fetch Vivi, the arm clawing at the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I promised this one The One Where Arthur Doesn't Die? It ends in a period. He doesn't die. Period. At all. End of discussion. I still stand by that. He'll be fine. You might not think that NEXT chapter but I promise you a thousand times over _he will be FINE **dont WORRY**_


	8. The One Where Arthur Has His Friend's Interests In Mind.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories of the cave come flooding back, and Arthur makes a radical decision.  
> Chapter Warnings: Character death (aformentioned), descriptions of gore and trauma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I took two days to write a 1800 word chapter ew

Arthur’s vision was blurry. His head swiveled around, trying to examine his surroundings. Panic began settling in his bones, making his back arch. Dark green stones came into vision, and so did a familiar silhouette.

He was back in the cave. Lewis, with his torch held high, examining the spikes down below. “Be careful, Arthur,” he said. “It would be a shame if one of us slipped. Stay back there.”

This wasn’t a normal nightmare. This was almost a memory. Lewis’ voice echoed in the rocky cavern, failing to soothe Arthur’s nerves. If Arthur’s memory served him right…

Sure enough, the dead voice came back to haunt him. “We aren’t finished yet, boy. You’ve got a job to do.” Arthur braced himself for the electrifying pain. Hands, again, on his neck, holding him there. “You must forgive me,” it snarked again, “But I need to borrow this, for a second.”

Arthur winced as electricity shot through his arm again. It felt like his skin was singed, and his bones felt like glass shattering. It was _much_ more powerful than in his dream. He knew he couldn’t move, but still, he struggled. He tried to call out to Lewis, to warn him not to slip, although he knew it wouldn’t fix things.

Lewis turned his head to speak to Arthur. “Arthur? Are you okay?”

Arthur lunged forward, suddenly and without any warning, arm outstretched. He felt a pressure against his palm. He watched on in horror as Lewis’ arms spun, trying to steady himself, and his torch went flying. Lewis plummeted down into the cave below.

No. No, no, no, no. Fuck. Fuck! This wasn’t happening. No, Lewis couldn’t be… Arthur pushed him? Shit. What was happening? The memory was far too clear for Arthur -- this was not a dream. This happened.

“Thank you,” the voice said, and Arthur felt immediately queasy. “And here’s your reward…” Arthur was snapped out of his grief by the strong electric current travelling further up his neck, and into his head. He found the will to scream.

Suddenly, a beast -- a giant fox with 7 tails that Arthur recognized as Mystery -- jumped in front of him. “Wait,” the dead voice cried in Arthur’s mind. Arthur’s mouth opened, and the dead voice spoke through him. “Stop! I’m not done with him, you animal!” Arthur’s hand flew foward, trying to scratch at Mystery, but Mystery launched himself forward.

Teeth bore into Arthur’s arm, tearing into his shoulder blade. The electricity was cut off almost immediately, but a hot buzz still echoed in Arthur’s head as the voice screamed in agony -- or perhaps that was himself, Arthur thought. Blood erupted from his arm as the jaws ripped it clean off at the shoulder. It was bright green, and the contrast of it with the ruby red blood hurt Arthur’s eyes.

Mystery dropped the Arm, then ran towards Arthur. Arthur tried to get away, but Mystery’s jaws clamped around his shirt collar, and tugged him backwards, practically dragging Arthur out.

Arthur was losing blood fast, and though his panic was keeping him awake up until now, he felt himself beginning to slip away. He wondered if this was how he would die. He let his eyelids fall, and the world around his faded into mere sensory input that his brain failed to register.

Arthur’s eyes flew open, and he sat up. He was in the back of the van. He looked to the left of him at his arm, and saw his sleek new prosthetic. As he did, he felt himself spazz -- a single shock ran down his neck.

Arthur looked straight ahead. It all made sense. Lewis was trying to kill him in the cave that night because _Arthur killed him first_. He felt like he was going to be sick. Arthur was Lewis’ killer. He murdered his best friend. All this time, Arthur thought his search had been a noble effort, but the truth of the matter was, Arthur was the one who took his best friend away.

He was to blame for everything. For his own pain, for Lewis’ pain. For Vivi, once she remembered what happened. They would disown him, surely. But something else began to pull his concern. Another light shock ran up his neck, into his head, and the echo of a dead voice haunted him.

 _For as long as i’m still here, with this voice in my head,_ Arthur thought, _I’m a threat to my friend’s safety._

Lewis clutched the arm tightly as it continued to thrash in an attempt to free itself. He went down the left path, looking around for Vivi. The arm twisted around enough to grab his wrist, but it couldn’t really do much else, so it stayed there, holding onto Lewis. Lewis felt himself becoming sick.

He grabbed the arm’s wrist with his other hand, prying it off of himself. “Gross,” he muttered. Suddenly, he caught sight of Vivi’s blue hair in the spikes. This place made him uneasy, and he couldn’t wait to leave again.

Vivi looked through the stalagmites, searching for clues. She heard a voice calling out behind her. “Vivi,” Lewis said. She turned around. “Lewis? Did you find anything?” Lewis held up his hand, which clutched onto a green arm. The limb twisted about of its own volition. Vivi had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. Sure enough, the arm was real.

Mystery bound forward, barking and snarling. The arm practically screeched, trying to lean as far away from Mystery as possible. “How did you get that?!” Mystery shouted. “I thought it was gone!”

Lewis and Vivi looked at Mystery, confused and scared. “What do you mean, you thought it was gone?” Vivi asked. Lewis narrowed his eyes. “You know what this is?” he said, suspiciously. Mystery growled. “There’s no time to explain. We need to contain it first. We can’t let it get away this time.”

Lewis and Vivi looked at eachother. “There’s a chest full of ghost stuff in the van,” Vivi said. “It should be big enough. We can empty it, toss the arm in, and lock it.” Lewis nodded. “That should be fine.” They began their ascent up to the exit of the cave.

“So,” Vivi asked, “How did you find that?” she asked, pointing to the arm, which twisted and contorted in Lewis’ grasp. “It found us, actually,” Lewis explained. “It tried to choke Arthur. I had to get it off of him. This thing’s grip is strong.” Vivi looked at Lewis, eyes full of worry. “Oh my god!” she exclaimed. “Is Arthur okay?”

“Yeah,” Lewis said. "He passed out, but I put him-” He cut himself off as they walked out of the cave and the van came into view. The door was wide open, Arthur’s signature orange vest was on the ground, and Arthur was nowhere to be seen.

Lewis looked around. “What the hell?” he said. “He was right there, in the back of the van!” He stormed over to the van’s back doors, looking inside. There, on the floor of the van, right on the old makeshift bed in the back, was Arthur’s prosthetic arm, which looked like it had been torn out of its place.

Vivi picked up the vest, examining it. “Where did he go?” Lewis breathed, incredulous. He was right _here._ Lewis wasn’t gone that long. He picked up the prosthetic arm, looking at it dejectedly. His other hand squeezed the living arm in his grip, making it squirm.

“Vivi,” he said, “Open the chest and empty it out.” Vivi looked at him, then back at the chest. She opened the chest, taking the contents out carefully. It took her a second, but soon, everything was out on the floor. Lewis grabbed the chest with one hand, scooting it closer to him.

Lewis threw the arm in with a loud _thump_ , stunning it so it wouldn’t immediately try to get out, and slamming the lid down. He sat down on it while the arm threw itself against the chest walls, and he grabbed a padlock. He put it onto the latch of the chest, and clicked it shut. Getting up, the chest bumped from side to side.

“That should hold it,” he said, dusting his hands off on his suit. “We need to go find Arthur.” Mystery hopped up into the van, and onto the moving chest. He growled at it, and it stilled. He looked up at Lewis. “We can use the tracking flower,” he said.

Lewis looked down at the wilting black eyed susan, then back at Mystery. “This?” he said, taking the flower out. Mystery nodded. “Just throw some petals to the wind.”

Vivi looked up at Lewis. “Yeah,” he said. “I will. Just…” He sighed, eyeing the flower with a dispirited look. “Vivi, Mystery,” he said, “You two stay in the van and make sure that _thing_ doesn’t escape the chest, somehow. He turned away from them. “I’ll go find Arthur.”

“Are you sure?” Vivi asked, walking to Lewis and placing a hand on his arm. “I can come with you.”

“If we go in too big a group, he might get spooked. I need to talk to him, anyway.” He levitated in his spot, and floated away from Vivi by a few feet. She sighed. “Okay. Bring him back, safe.” She went into the back of the van and shut the doors.

Lewis looked at the flower. He didn’t want to break it more than it already was, although it would help him find Arthur. He was getting very empathetic with it, all of a sudden. What was going on with him?

He gripped his heart, which he did when he was nervous, but to his surprise, it clicked open. He froze, looking down at the heart. It was still broken, but it looks like the cracks realigned, allowing it to open again. Inside, a lovely picture of him and Vivi. He was finally able to tell Vivi about what happened to him! But…

He looked at the flower, it was shriveled and small, but the leaves still held an echo of vibrancy. The longer he looked, the more he considered how fast it was fading. Maybe, it’s magic was still strong enough…

He held the locket open in one hand, and carefully picked a few petals from the flower. Unlike the blue flower’s soft silence, the dry petals crackled when pulled. He dropped a few petals in his heart, and shut the locket.

The cracks regressed, damage repaired, and his locket glowed a bright gold. He watched it in wonder. Setting it back in it’s rightful place, he smiled. He tucked the stem and eye of the flower back in his vest pocket for luck, grabbed Arthur's orange vest, and went on his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****  
>  _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA_   
> 


	9. The One Where Arthur Slips Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lewis needs to find Arthur soon, and get him back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asdfghjkl Arthur no  
> Arthur gets cuddled a little bit more in this chapter but, mostly cause of danger whoops  
> Things are wrapping up, slowly but surelyyy

Vivi sat on the trunk, jumping as the arm slammed itself against the walls every so often, like a grim reminder that it was still kicking. “God,” she muttered, “when will this thing tire out, right?” The last part way louder, and aimed at Mystery with a kind of humorous tone. Mystery didn’t seem entertained.

“Aw,” Vivi worried, “what’s wrong, Mystery? You look concerned.”

“I am concerned,” he said. His ears flattened against his head. “I thought this thing was dead. I thought I got rid of it.” He stared at the box angrily. Vivi took note of that. 

“Well,” she said, “Why did you try to get rid of it? What did it do?”

Mystery looked up at her. “You don’t remember it,” he said, his tone laced with warning. Unfortunately, Vivi doesn’t know when to heed a warning if she sees one, so she presses on. “Jog my memory then,” she said, setting her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands, leaning forward.

Mystery looked grimly at her. “Well, as i’m sure you can tell, it had something to do with how Arthur lost his arm.”

“Oh yeah,” Vivi said. “I knew that when I saw the arm brace. Did it just take his arm right off or something?” She asked. Mystery looked down sheepishly. “No, actually. That was me.”

Vivi sprung backwards. “What?! Why would you do that?” She asked, voice cracking with mixed emotions. Mystery kept his eyes locked on the chest as it bumped again, making Vivi fly up a little. “It was entirely good intentions,” Mystery explained. “And a little panic, of course. I just did what I knew would remedy the situation I saw.”

“And that was… amputating Arthur’s arm?” Vivi asked, still suspicious. Mystery stayed quiet for a few seconds, carefully crafting his response. “He was being possessed, slowly. Like an infection. I had to stop the spread, otherwise I have no idea what might have happened to him. Lewis was dead at that point. You were incapacitated. There was nobody to perform an exorcism.”

Vivi looked down at the chest. “So, it really  _ was _ the only option?” She didn’t like the idea of her friend being in  _ any _ kind of pain, but if it was unavoidable, then she could see why it had to happen. “Well,” Mystery said, “The plan with the least damage. Or so I thought.”

Vivi looked up at Mystery. “What do you mean?” she asked. Mystery pawed at the ground, staying quiet. After failing to get a response, Vivi tried again. “What do you mean, ‘so you thought?’”

“I guess I just mean,” Mystery explained, “That things obviously went horribly wrong no matter what I chose to do.” his voice sounded troubled. Vivi could get why; from what she heard, it sounded like it all fell on him in that moment. Anyone could blame themselves for not handling it perfectly.

“Well,” she said, “You did something about it. It sounds like that’s more than me or Lewis could do.” She looked out the window of the van’s back doors, at the cave. “But what does this have to do with Lewis’ death?”

“It killed him.” The statement made Vivi snap her head around. “What, this little guy?” She gestured at the still jumping box she sat on to keep still. “How could he do anything?”

Mystery smacked his paw against the box, hushing the arm. “Well, it did a whole lot of good while it was attached to Arthur.” Vivi thought about what Mystery was saying. “So, it puppeted Arthur into…”

“Killing Lewis,” they finished in unison. Vivi’s realisation was full of horror. “How does Lewis feel about all that?” she asked to herself. Mystery, luckily, answered for her. “I’m not sure. I can’t imagine he’s happy. I wonder if he even knows Arthur was possessed.”

Vivi stared out the window in the direction of where Lewis left. “That’s why he went after Arthur. In the mansion, the first time we came across him. He wouldn’t stop pursuing him…” Vivi turned her head back to Mystery. “Why haven’t you said anything about this to him if you remember?”

“He wouldn’t believe me,” Mystery said, laying down. “He’s kept in the living world by anger. He’d write me off as trying to defend a murderer, and i’d be on his kill list, too. I don’t understand how he’s gone this far without killing Arthur already.”

Vivi placed a hand on the window. “Was it really a good idea to let him go after Arthur alone, then?” she asked. She couldn’t imagine what she’d do or feel if Lewis went out just to corner Arthur to get revenge. Mystery shook his head. “Well, they’ve been alone together for the past week, and Arthur hasn’t died yet, has he?”

Vivi supposed he was right. Still, she felt bad about this. “Watch the chest,” she said. She got up from the chest, and it immediately shifted a few inches across with a powerful push. Mystery jumped up on the chest, taking her place. “Where are you going?”

Vivi grabbed a flashflight. She threw the van doors open and stepped out. She looked at the fresh footprints on the ground. “I’m going out as damage control,” she explained. She set out into the remains of the forest, leaving Mystery by himself.

Lewis stepped through the dead trees and shrubbery. Arthur couldn’t have gone far; it hadn’t been that long. They left early, but the sun was already coming overhead. He kept going through the trees, trying to slip his way through, but the branches were beginning to get very close together. 

He wondered how Arthur managed to get through all this clutter. He spotted a piece of white cloth hanging on one of the branched. He approached it, picking it off of the limb of the tree. It had a hint of blood on the torn edge. So, Arthur  _ hadn’t _ managed to get through all this clutter after all.

Having no clue where Arthur was while he was most likely freaking out was an entirely different experience from having Arthur present and definitely freaking out. Lewis practically snapped branch after branch that he ran into with the sheer force of his rush. 

Arthur was probably out there, all alone, having the breakdown of his life. He almost got choked to death. He’s at the scene of his worst traumatic event. If the torn shirt is anything to speak for, he’s bleeding. He must be an utter mess. Thinking about it for too long made Lewis want to explode with concern.

Of course, he tried to keep himself under wraps. When he got especially emotional, he had a habit of combusting -- not something you want to do in a great big field of what was essentially kindling. 

He surveyed the field of dead plants, starting to feel his emotions slip, when a strong tug in his heart got his attention. He turned his head towards a low weeping sound, and spiky orange hair caught his gaze. He sighed in relief. “Arthur,” he called out, sure that Arthur would come running to him.

However, to his surprise, Arthur saw him and immediately ran. Confused, Lewis lifted up off of the ground, floating out to pursue him. “Arthur,” he called out, “wait up!” He had no idea what spooked Arthur so badly. 

It was no time at all before Lewis caught up with Arthur, grabbing him by his shirt collar, holding him there. Lewis noticed Arthur’s sleeve was torn, and his arm scratched up pretty bad. A couple tiny lines of red, which were already puffing up, and one bigger line that oozed liquid crimson down Arthur’s arm, and between his fingers.

“Why are-” Lewis tried to get out, but Arthur cut him off, trying desperately to get out of Lewis’ grasp. “Let me go! Please, don’t get near me! Leave me alone!”

Lewis looked at Arthur confused. He had tears streaming down his face. He teared at Lewis’ sleeve, trying to wriggle out of Lewis’ clutch. He looked afraid. “Arthur,” Lewis said, trying to calm him down. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but let’s try to-”

“I remembered what happened,” Arthur croaked. “At the cave,” he continued. Lewis’ face fell, and he stopped talking. The aura felt heavy and cold. “I remember, you were… you were at the edge and I… something took me over. Lewis, i'm so fucking sorry. I didn’t want to. I didn’t mean to.”

There it was. A confession. The very thing Lewis had been trying to extract from him for the past few days. A confession to his crimes. It felt good.

It felt wrong.

Arthur really sounded sorry. Like he wasn’t in control of what happened. Like maybe… Lewis had this all wrong. A surge of anger still shot through Lewis;  _ why did everything have to be so difficult? _

Arthur saw the flames rising from Lewis’ hair. His eyes teared up. “Lewis,” he croaked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, I would never. Please. You’re my best bud.” his throat was choked up. Lewis didn’t know what he was feeling. 

He would have to sort through it later, because he saw pink fire spreading around them. He whipped his head around. He’d been standing beneath a dry branch, which had quickly caught fire. The surrounding woods quickly followed suit. 

He threw Arthur over his shoulder. “Time to get out of here,” he said, rising up out of the flames. Arthur watched as the ground drew away from them, and they both lifted into the air. Lewis refrained from talking as Arthur yelled and shouted, begging Lewis not to bring him back to the van.

Vivi wasn’t able to walk through the forest for long, as she noticed a familiar bout of pink fire catching on the trees. She walked backwards, out of the twig-like grove, and broke into a run as the fire began to gain on her.

Once she was back to the van, her lungs heaved for air. Mystery kicked the door open. “What’s going on?!” he said. He looked at the forest fire with fear. “What happened?”

“I don’t know!” Vivi answered, yelling. She glanced back at the forest. “Lewis and Arthur are in there, thought… so i’m going back in!”

Mystery lunged forward, grabbing onto her sweater with his teeth. “I can’t let you do that,” he said through closed jaws.  “You’ll get yourself killed!” Vivi tugged at her sweater, trying to free herself from mystery’s grasp. “Arthur is in just as much danger!”

She looked up in the sky as she saw a rising pink flame; Lewis, carrying Arthur over his shoulder. She sighed in relief. Mystery let go of her sweater. She stumbled forward as she was released, trying to catch her balance. She motioned up to Lewis. “Lewis! Hey! Down here!” 

Lewis looked down at Vivi, who waved frantically at them. He sunk down to the ground, Arthur held over his back. Arthur was now still, having given up on struggling. “We’re going back, and Arthur is gonna stay in the shop while we talk about the arm.”

Arthur gripped Lewis’ coat tails. “Put me down,” he said, “all the blood is rushing to my head.” Lewis opened the back doors of the van, and the chest jumped. “What was that?” Arthur asked, disoriented. Lewis was blocking the opening of the van, but he heard a loud THUNK, and Vivi and Mystery definitely weren’t back there, because he could see them standing behind Lewis.

Lewis turned around, and Arthur tried to look up at the van, or at least twist around so he could see. The van seemed the same, but his mechanical arm lay in the van. Right, he took that off. Along with it was tons of ghost hunting equipment. That’s weird. Shouldn’t that be in the--?

The chest jumped, and Arthur yelped. Oh, right. They must have had to put the arm  _ somewhere.  _ Arthur tugged Lewis’ coattails tightly. Lewis pulled Arthur up. He whooped as he fell slightly, but Lewis caught him so he was holding Arthur against his chest. Arthur’s head hurt with the speed at which his blood began to drop back into his body. 

He wrapped his arms around Lewis’ neck, dizzy. The world spun a little bit, and he felt incredibly sick under all these layers of panic and nausea. Lewis looked at Mystery. “Mystery, you stay in the back. Arthur’s not gonna be in the same area as that  _ thing. _ ” Mystery nodded, hopping into the back and on top of the chest. 

Vivi walked up to Lewis to speak to Arthur. “Arthur, are you okay?” Arthur didn’t answer, he just held on tighter to Lewis. Lewis looked at Vivi, and shrugged. She sighed, sadly. “Okay. I’ll take that as a no.” She walked around to the back. “I’ll keep Mystery company back here so Arthur can sit up front.”

Lewis opened the passenger door and set Arthur inside. Arthur quickly let go and brought his knees up to his chest. Lewis closed the door, walking around to the driver’s side, and getting in. He started the engine, and Arthur watched out of the window as the cave disappeared from view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goooood i'm sorry it took so long to get this out, I don't write on the weekends and it's hard to get to 2000 words a chapter now


	10. The One Where The Gang Gets Back Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's good, knowing things are going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck i can't believe this is it  
> I might write an epilogue??? Where they do something with ??? idk

Once the gang arrived at Kingsmen Mechanics, Arthur had managed to gather himself. Thank god he did, because he didn’t want his first words to Lance after returning to be some incoherent babbling about almost dying, because that would  _ definitely _ make Lance forbid him from seeing Lewis and Vivi ever again.

Arthur opened the passenger’s side door, stumbling out. “Hey,” Lewis said behind him, grabbing his attention. Arthur turned around. Lewis looked concerned. “Stay safe.” 

Arthur nodded. “Yeah. I will.” He headed inside, and Lewis watched him go. Vivi leaned over the seat. “Can I come up front now?” Lewis turned to her. “Of course,” he said. “Come around.”

She got out through the back door, and walked around to the front. Getting in, she buckled herself in, and only then did Lewis remember Arthur didn’t buckle up when he got in the first time. He’d have to chew him out for it later. 

They drove down the road. “What are we gonna do with the arm?” Lewis asked. Vivi looked back at the chest. Mystery laid on it, sleepily, his eyes closing for a few seconds before a sudden knock from inside scared him awake again.

“I’m not sure,” Vivi admitted. “We just kind of threw it in a chest and left with it.” She slumped against the chair. “I wonder if it’s reattachable,” she joked, and laughed a little. Lewis chuckled back. “Nah,” he said, looking back. “I doubt Arthur would want it.”

“We could always burn it,” Vivi suggested. “Although, we might want to exorcise it first.” Lewis looked at the arm. “Yeah. Not looking forward to that.” He looked back ahead, trying to keep his eyes on the road. “So, Arthur was possessed.” He said it like it wasn’t so obvious. For him, a week ago, it wasn’t.

“Of course he was,” Vivi said. “You’re his best friend. What motive would he have?” she asked, dancing around the topic in question. Lewis shrugged. “I guess I always thought he was jealous of me.”

Vivi looked ahead. “Right. He doesn’t really have anything to be jealous of.” Lewis kep his eyes on the road, hands gripping the wheel. “I mean, of this,” he said. “I always kind of thought he had a thing for you?” Saying it, he felt ridiculous. Hearing Vivi laugh made him feel even  _ more _ ridiculous.

“What makes you think that?” She said. “Oh boy, let’s just say, i’m NOT his type.” Lewis turned his head, still looking at the road. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Lewis, Arthur is gay.”

_ Oh, fuck. This was embarrassing, _ Lewis thought. “Oh,” he said. “Well, he never told me that.” Vivi looked out the window. “Maybe he thought you’d think he was hitting on you or something?”

Lewis leaned against the chair. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t think that. I know the difference between ‘I’m gay and I wanted you to know’ and ‘I’m gay, go out with me.’” 

“ _ Do _ you?” she asked. Lewis looked at her funny. “Of course I do,” he said. “What, you think I actually think he’s hitting on me?” Vivi shrugged. “No. I’m just saying, you two have been kind of… cuddly?”

Lewis looked away, staring at the road. He turned the wheel at a left turn. “We’re not cuddly. It’s support.”

“Support with cuddling,” Vivi pointed out. Lewis never thought he’d see the day his own possibly ex girlfriend suggested he was gay for his best friend, and yet, here he was. “Well, it doesn’t really matter. I know for a fact Arthur only thinks of me as a friend.”

Vivi looked out of the window. “Right. He only thinks of you as a friend. A conventionally attractive, 7-foot-3, generous, supportive friend that he cuddles with when he’s scared.” Lewis opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn’t find any words.

Well, he supposed, when it was put that way, Lewis could see what Vivi was talking about. Lewis wasn’t exactly _violently_ _opposed_ to the idea, anyway. He just hadn’t quite thought of it before. It didn’t seem that bad.

But he decided to think about that later.

“So, we’ll plan some time to exorcise and burn the arm, and then… we all go back to singing kumbaya and holding hands?” Lewis asked. Vivi turned to look at him, shrugging. “I guess so,” she said. “Now that we’re no longer down a member, we could restart the mystery skulls?”

Lewis looked ahead at the road. “Yeah,” he said. “I think that could be a good start. We’ll have to be more careful, though. Try and… prevent another possession. I’m not sure  _ anyone _ got out of that one unscathed.”

Lewis parked in front of Vivi’s house. Vivi got out of the van, and walked around to the back. She opened the back doors, and grabbed the chest. “I’ll keep this,” she said. “Mystery can guard it, make sure it doesn’t cause any trouble.” 

Lewis looked behind the seat as she struggled to lift the chest. “Okay,” he said. “Need some help?” Vivi shook her head. “Oh, nah, I’m good.” She heaved the chest up in her arms, falling slightly off balance. “Thank you for driving me!” 

Lewis smiled. Suddenly, he remembered that he had to show Vivi the locket. He would do it soon, he told himself. He wasn’t looking forward to reminding Vivi about his death. He wondered if she would end up like Arthur. 

As Vivi walked into the house, Lewis watched sadly. He knew he had to do it sooner or later, but he felt apprehensive all of a sudden. He looked down at his heart. It beat to a steady rhythm, and shined a lively gold. He backed out of Vivi’s driveway, and began his trip back to the shop.

As he watched the cacti come and go, he began to grow impatient. He wished he could get back to kingsmen mechanics faster. He wondered how Arthur was doing. His concern made his heart beat slightly faster, and he reached up to still it.

He realized he was on an empty desert road, so he took the time to examine his locket. He looked back up every so often to make sure he was still on track. It was glowing a bright yellow, and felt slightly warm in his hands. He opened it.

He was so shocked, the van swerved with how he moved his hands. He held tightly as he steadied the van again, taking a second to breathe air he didn’t need into his lungs and back out to calm himself. He looked back down.

There, in the locket, where there once was a picture of him and Vivi, a new picture resided; one he actually recognized. It was a picture he took of himself, Arthur, and Vivi, on their first trip to a haunted house. They were all a bit younger; Arthur’s goatee was only just growing in. Vivi had long hair back then. This was before he and Vivi began dating, he realized. He looked a little closer.

Vivi and Arthur both had one hand on either of Lewis’ shoulders, leaning their heads agains his own so they’d all get in the shot. He remembered they weren’t tall enough, so Arthur had to go on his toes, and Vivi had to stand on something. It was still tough, so Lewis had to crouch.

Lewis closed the locket, looking up at the road. He felt a few tears fall down his face. Fuck, he’d forgotten how much fun all that was. And when he really thought about it, it was different before he and Vivi dated. Arthur was… well, freaked out. But he really looked like he was having fun.

All of them, as a group. Together. Lewis smiled to himself. He continued on his way to Kingsmen Mechanics, some newfound emotion flooding his brain. 

When he arrived at Kingsmen Mechanics, he parked the van in the garage, where Arthur happened to be working, or something. Lewis couldn’t actually tell what he was doing. Arthur seemed to be looking around the garage for something.

Lewis got out of the van. “Hey, Arthur.” He walked up to him. “How are you?”

Arthur jumped. “Lewis! I… uh. I don’t…” He scooted away. “I’m looking for my vest,” he settled on after a few moments. Lewis hummed, turning back to the van. He leaned inside and grabbed the orange vest, holding it up for Arthur to see. He grinned, reaching for it, but it was lifted out of his reach.

“Wait a second,” Lewis said, reaching into one of the pockets. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter. Then, he gave the vest back to Arthur. Arthur took the vest, pouty, and put it back on. He stood and looked at Lewis for a second. 

“I need those,” he said, pointing to the cigarettes. Lewis looked at them. “You need them?” He said. Arthur nodded. “Uh… yeah. I’m kinda like, stressed right now… and I just need a little smoke.” His voice wavered as he explained away his nicotine addiction. Lewis started at him, while taking out a cigarette, lighting it, and giving it to him. “I’ll hold on to them,” Lewis said. “If you need one, ask.”

Arthur took the cigarette without arguing. He walked outside, and took drag from it. “So,” he said, breathing smoke out as Lewis followed him, “You’re gonna hold my cigarettes for me, because?”

“I’m regulating your supply,” Lewis said. “Making sure you don’t smoke  _ too _ much.” Arthur looked back at him. He took a drag, breathing smoke out through his nose. “You don’t have to call it  _ my supply _ . It’s not, like… meth, or something.”

“No,” Lewis explained, “but it’s definitely about as deadly.” Arthur looked at the floor as he smoked. Lewis watched him, sadly. “I forgive you,” he said into the quiet. Arthur looked up at him. “You shouldn’t,” he said. “I haven’t.”

Lewis felt his heart break a little. “Well, it’s not your choice whether or not I forgive you, and I’m forgiving you. I advise you do the same.” He didn’t mean for it to come out so aggressively, but it was out in the air now.

Luckily, it made Arthur laugh. “Okay. I guess I could consider it.” Lewis watched him laugh, and his heart beat a little faster. Arthur looked nice when he laughed. He looked down at his heart, and felt the smooth surface of it. Lewis wondered if Arthur’s flower changed the photo, somehow. He didn’t see why else it would change.

Looking back at Arthur, he shifted awkwardly. “Well, if you need some extra convincing,” he said, “Vivi thought about restarting the mystery skulls.” Arthur looked back up at Lewis, holding the cigarette up to his lips, but not breathing in the smoke. He took the cigarette away. “Restarting the mystery skulls?”

“Yeah. Getting back out there. Hunting ghosts again. I’ve always wanted to go… more out.”

“How out?” Arthur asked. Lewis shrugged. “More out than Texas, maybe.” Arthur chuckled, bringing the cigarette up to his lips again, taking a drag. “Oh boy<’ he said, exhaling. “Hopefully not more out than America. I only speak english, unlike you people and your… bilingualness.” 

Lewis smiled, looking ahead. “Me quieres. T ú lo sabe.” Arthur looked over at Lewis. “I only understood half of that, but the part I  _ did _ understand was wrong.”

“So you don’t love me?” Lewis teased, grinning. Arthur swatted his hand at Lewis. “Shut up, man.” His face heated up, Lewis noticed. He tucked that thought away for later. He stood closer to Arthur, putting a hand on his shoulder. Arthur reached out to the wall, crushing his cigarette against it to put it out.

“So…” Lewis asked, “What do you think? Feel like getting out of the road again sometime?” His voice was steady, but nervous. Arthur considered it for a few seconds, humming. He looked at Lewis sincerely.

“Yeah. I’d like that.” Arthur welcomed the surge of joy in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vivi gets her memory back, Lewis and Arthur and Vivi all get together in the end, and everything is happy, I just didn't write that because i CaNt-  
> Also ??? is burned forever no more evil man

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy my fixit fic


End file.
